Vertigo Games, the Netherlands-based VR veteran behind a host of popular titles, is closing its Amsterdam studio, citing continued challenges within the VR games market.
The news was announced by CEO Richard Stitselaar in an open letter, noting “the VR market remains a challenging space,” which is resulting the in closure of Vertigo Studios Amsterdam.
Originally called Force Field before being acquired by Rotterdam-based Vertigo Games in 2021, the studio produced a number of VR games and experiences over the years, including Anne Frank House VR (2018), Coaster Combat (2017) and Landfall (2017) as Force Field, and Metro Awakening VR (2024) as Vertigo Studios Amsterdam.
Notably, the Rotterdam-based sister studio was itself acquired by Embracer Group’s Plaion (ex-Koch Media) in 2020 for $60 million, known for Arizona Sunshine (2016), Arizona Sunshine 2 (2023), and After the Fall (2021).
The company didn’t provide details regarding the number of employees affected, a timeline for the closure, or whether any projects currently in development (or staff) will be transferred to other teams within the organization.
The shutdown reflects an all too familiar trend facing both the VR industry and games industry as a whole. Earlier this year Meta announced it was shutting down a number of internal VR studios amid a wider shift in its Reality Labs XR division to instead focus on AI and smart glasses.
This included the cancellation of a number of unannounced games, such as a Batman: Arkham Shadow sequel from Meta’s Sanzaru Games, an unannounced Harry Potter VR game for Quest from Skydance Games, and a major project from Moss developers Polyarc.
Survios, one of VR’s most senior game studios and developer behind Alien: Rogue Incursion (2024), has also effectively shut down following a layoff of a majority of staff.
Additionally, social VR platform Rec Room, once valued at $3.5 billion, shut down on June 1st. Meanwhile, Meta’s own Horizon Worlds is now focused “almost exclusively” on mobile in the future as Quest players will no longer have access to future content.
