While Meta hasn’t offered a statement on the lay-offs, it confirmed to Kotaku that the studio hasn’t been shut down like Armature Studios, Twisted Pixel and Sanzaru Games, despite its team having been essentially gutted.

Citing anonymous former Meta employees, the report states that Camouflaj has essentially been gutted, with “just a handful of employees” remaining at the studio. The team has been described as working on “the new user experience for upcoming hardware.” The lay-offs have also included heads of the studio, including founder Ryan Payton.

Camouflaj was founded all the way back in 2011, and made a name for itself thanks to its stealth-based action adventure game République. After having brought the game to a variety of platforms from mobile to consoles, the studio would then sign a deal with Marvel Games to work on Iron Man VR, which came out in 2020 on PS4’s PlayStationVR, and Meta’s Quest 2 headsets and above.

Former senior animator at the studio Kaitlin S. took to LinkedIn to talk about being laid off. “I was a part of the recent Meta lay-offs that hit Camouflaj,” wrote Kaitlin. “It’s been an incredible 12+ years with the team, and I am so proud of what we accomplished in that time! I will miss the Camouflaj team a great deal. It was an incredible group of game devs.”

The last major release by Camouflaj was Batman: Arkham Shadow, which was released in 2024 exclusively for the Meta Quest 3 and 3S headsets. The title is a first-person action adventure game that pits players, in the role of Batman, against the Rat King. It features combat systems based on the Batman: Arkham series, and brings in other elements from Rocksteady’s franchise as well, including Detective Vision and stealth sections. Gadgets like batarangs, the grapple gun and smoke bombs also make a comeback.

Camouflaj is one of several studios to have fallen victim to Meta’s decision to shift its investments over from its development on the “Metaverse” to wearable technology. Due to this, around 10,000 workers at Meta have been laid off, the company’s Reality Labs division also being hit quite heavily. “We said last month that we were shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables. This is part of that effort, and we plan to reinvest the savings to support the growth of wearables this year,” said a spokesperson for the company.

While Camouflaj remains open to function in some capacity, Sanzaru Games, Armature Studio, and Twisted Pixel have been officially shut down. These studios had worked on a number of major projects for Meta’s Quest headsets, including the Asgard’s Wrath series, the VR port of the classic Resident Evil 4, and Marvel’s Deadpool VR. The three studios had a history of working on a number of smaller projects before they started making VR games, with Armature Studios and Sanzaru Games even having worked with Sony on bringing over some of its older titles to at-the-time modern platforms like the PS3 and PS Vita.

Interestingly, the studio closure comes in light of a recent Bloomberg report that reveals that Meta is also making larger cuts throughout its Reality Labs division. These lay-offs are set to affect more than 1,000 employees at the company. Reality Labs is the main division for Meta’s various VR efforts, including the Quest headsets and the company’s game development studios.

It is worth noting that Meta had initially acquired Armature Studios and Twisted Pixel, along with Camouflaj, all the way back in 2022. The company had acquired Sanzaru Games back in 2020. While Armature Studios hadn’t released a game since 2019’s Quest port of Resident Evil 4, Twisted Pixel had released the Quest 3 and Quest 3S-exclusive Marvel’s Deadpool VR just last year.

It’s currently unknown what these studio closures mean for Meta’s Reality Labs division, be it the fate of future Quest headsets or exclusive titles. In a statement, the company noted that this was part of a move to focus more of its investments on wearable technology.

“We said last month that we were shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables. This is part of that effort, and we plan to reinvest the savings to support the growth of wearables this year,” said a spokesperson for Meta.

Armature Studios had done quite a bit of prolific work with various major companies before it started focusing its efforts on VR games. It was known for its partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment, having worked on ports for Sony’s platforms. These include the PlayStation Vita ports for Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and Injustice: Gods Among Us, and multiplatform ports for Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate. The studio has also previously worked with Microsoft on the 2016 adventure game ReCore for PC and Xbox One.

Sanzaru Games, on the other hand, is known for many projects over the years. Before VR, the studio had worked on titles like the PS3 remastered release The Sly Collection and PS Vita ports for games like God of War Collection and The Sly Collection. It had even worked on spin-off titles like Secret Agent Clank on PS2, and even the fourth game in the Sly Cooper franchise, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, back in 2013.

The studio first began a relationship with Meta when it worked on titles like Ripcoil, VR Sports Challenge and Tron RUN/r back in 2016. The studio would catch Meta’s attention in a major way thanks to its VR-based action RPG Asgard’s Wrath, which was released on the Oculus Rift in 2019. A couple of years after its acquisition, the studio would release Asgard’s Wrath 2, which is considered by many to be one of the most ambitious VR titles released on Meta’s Quest headsets.

Twisted Pixel wasn’t as prolific with releases before its extensive VR work. However, the studio was well-known for its action platforming game ‘Splosion Man, as well as unique titles like LocoCycle and The Gunstringer. Its final release before being shut down was Marvel’s Deadpool VR.

The trailer revolves around a mission that Magpie is given to get her hands on an ancient relic that seems to be a major part of the plans of Northcrest. To accomplish this mission, Magpie will have to sneak through the streets and navigate houses that are guarded by patrolling guards before she can ultimately find what she’s looking for.

In the new gameplay trailer, we get a look at the kinds of tools that protagonist Magpie will have access to, which includes a scope that can be used to look out for patrolling guards and find hidden safes in the darkness, as well as other classic Thief-styled tools like an arrow that can be shot to create a quick way to climb up a house, and even water arrows that can be shot into lit lanterns to create areas of darkness.

We also get a good look at the kind of mobility that Magpie will be capable of, which includes being able to scale buildings by making use of loose bricks as footholds. Pipes on the sides of buildings can also be used to gain some verticality in order to reach windows that would be otherwise inaccessible. Along with this, the trailer also shows off how guards can be knocked out by using a blackjack, and how locked doors can be opened up by making use of lockpicks.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow was originally announced back in June, when it was also confirmed that it will be coming to PlayStation VR2, PC VR, and Meta Quest 2, 3, and 3S. The title was announced with a trailer that also served as an introduction to new protagonist Magpie, who also happens to be the protege of classic Thief franchise protagonist Garrett.

Shortly after the initial announcement, Garrett’s original voice actor Stephen Russell was returning to reprise the role of the character. In a video, he noted that he had been playing the character in just about every Thief-related thing that had come out over the last 30 years aside from the 2014 reboot, where Romano Orzari took on the role.

“We’ve had a long history together, and it is so delightful to be back with him again,” said Russel in the video, which you can check out below. “I’ve missed the old guy! He’s got such a great sense of humour and they have perfectly captured that in this new game.”

“For me, there’s something about the character that… I mean it was how I got my start in games! So I really owe a lot to this guy, and it’s a huge, huge pleasure to be back voicing Garrett again.”

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow is slated to feature a story taking place between the events of the original trilogy and the 2014 reboot, according to lead game designer Richard Bunn.

In the video, Russell spoke about the legacy of the Thief games, and how he has been living with the character in some shape or form for 30 years since he first auditioned for the role back in 1995 or 1996.

“We’ve had a long history together, and it is so delightful to be back with him again,” said Russel in the video, which you can check out below. “I’ve missed the old guy! He’s got such a great sense of humour and they have perfectly captured that in this new game.”

“For me, there’s something about the character that… I mean it was how I got my start in games! So I really owe a lot to this guy, and it’s a huge, huge pleasure to be back voicing Garrett again.”

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow features a brand new protagonist, Magpie. However, this character still has some strange relationship with Garrett, which even the former protagonist seems unaware of. The latest video ends with Garrett revealing that he thought he had died, and questioning who Magpie is.

The gameplay for Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow shown in its announcement trailer looks like the gameplay for the original first-person stealth games translated faithfully into VR. The game will have players make use of shadows as they creep around opulent mansions in search of their prize, all while making use of different tools like unique arrow types to, for example, snuff out the light of torches to make sneaking easier.

The title will also seemingly involve other aspects of the classic Thief titles, including the ability to sneak through the rooftops and dark alleys of a Gothic city while also pickpocketing guards to not only get their money, but sometimes even get keys to unique areas.

As for the story, while not too much has been revealed about the upcoming title so far, lead game designer Richard Bunn has confirmed that its events take place between the original trilogy and the reboot from 2014, which was simply titled Thief. As such, the Orwellian level of surveillance from the older titles will still seemingly be present in Thief VR.

“Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow takes place between the original trilogy and the 2014 reboot,” said Bunn, describing the upcoming game, “centuries before the latter. The City is fractured, ruled by fear and surveillance, under the thumb of Baron Northcrest and his obsession with forbidden knowledge. The Keepers are gone, but their secrets linger in hidden glyphs and relics.”

The original Thief trilogy, as well as the reboot from 2014, are still playable on modern systems today. While the reboot can also be played on modern consoles thanks to its release on PS4 and Xbox One, the original trilogy is only playable on PC.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow, on the other hand, is slated for release on PC VR, PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest 2, 3, and 3S.

Legacy of Shadow returns to the iconic City but as a new thief, Magpie. Growing up on the streets and stealing to make a living, she discovers a strange artifact that connects to the past. Based on the trailer, it could be Garrett from the original trilogy.

As for the gameplay, it features the usual tenets of Thief – sneaking on rooftops and through alleys to sticking to the shadows. You can pickpocket guards and utilize multiple arrow types, and there are numerous paths to explore for each heist.

Naturally, VR makes it all the more immersive. Stay tuned for more details and announcements for Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow in the coming months.

Spotted by YouTuber QuestWithMatt on Twitter, Batman: Arkham Shadow’s first Achievement – titled “False God” – has been unlocked by over 1 million players. The Achievement is unlocked within the opening minutes, so that number is a fairly accurate estimation of the game’s total player count.

It’s worth mentioning, however, that Arkham Shadow is free with every Meta Quest 3S and Meta Quest 3 sold since its release, which means we don’t know what its actual sales numbers are.

As for those hoping for a new AAA console Batman title, last year, reports claimed that a new Batman game had entered development at Rocksteady Studios following the failure of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Read more on that through here.

Little update. https://t.co/RJI0TY0oyW pic.twitter.com/yp4yTwGLPm

— QuestWithMatt (@QuestWithMatt) February 2, 2025

The trailer showcases what seems to be the whole Farming Simulator experience in VR. These include cleaning and fixing up equipment to more complex tasks like picking and selling your harvest or refuelling your tractor to better plough your farm.

Like its mainline releases, Farming Simulator VR also features machinery from manufacturers like Case IH, CLASS, John Deere and Fendt, among others. Alongside the farm, players will have a greenhouse to plant crops like eggplants and tomatoes.

While there is no word yet on whether Farming Simulator VR will be coming to PC through SteamVR or PlayStation VR2, it will be available on Meta Quest 2, 3, 3S and Pro. For more details of the latest mainline entry in the Farming Simulator franchise, check out our review of Farming Simulator 25.

Developed by Camouflaj, Arkham Shadow is a sequel to Batman: Arkham Origins but takes place before Arkham Asylum. It sees players on a mission to defeat the Rat King and focuses more on linear indoor levels. Unlike previous titles, the experience is entirely in first-person.

Nevertheless, it retains all the core gameplay tenets from free-flow combat and Detective Vision to utilizing tools to outwit and take down enemies. One nice touch is that peeking around corners is more natural since the player can see things from Batman’s perspective. Though the Rat King is seemingly the main antagonist, Two-Face, Scarecrow, and other villains also appear.

Head here for more detailed gameplay of Batman: Arkham Shadow. As for Rocksteady Studios, it’s rumored to be working on a new title in the series following the underwhelming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.