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 first of these is Armature Studio, which, of course, has seen great success on Meta platforms of late, thanks to the launch of Resident Evil 4 VR. Meta has also acquired Twisted Pixel, which was a Microsoft studio from 2011 to 2015 before become independent again. Over the last few years, Twisted Pixel has worked almost exclusively on VR games for Meta platforms, including the likes of Wilson’s Heart, Path of the Warrior, and more.

Finally, Camouflaj has also been acquired, which, of course, is a studio that has plenty of experience with virtual reality. Most notably, Camouflaj developed the PlayStation VR exclusive Marvel’s Iron Man VR. 

So what are these three studios working on next? “It’ll be a while before we can reveal what they’re working on, but we’re excited to continue working with and supporting these developers as they bring ambitious and forward-thinking games to VR,” Meta says.

In related news, it’s also been announced that Marvel’s Iron Man VR is coming to the Meta Quest. Read more on that through here.

Twisted Pixel are the guys who brought us the Splosion Man series of games on the Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360. These games are charming and great fun (not to mention demanding), and now, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer has taken to teasing their new upcoming game, promising that it will be bigger than any of their other projects so far and implying that it might be very different.

Spencer wouldn’t tell us any more about the game, saying that “More work to do on it but great start,’ implying that they’re not far enough along development to really talk about it yet.

In any case, the game should be pretty awesome. The Splosion Man games were great fun, and probably provided some of the most fun and memorable experiences on the Xbox 360. Plus, with Spencer’s hints that the project will be bigger and more different than anything that they have tackled before, this game may just be a full retail release, instead of a smaller digital one.

The Gunstringer is Kinect’s best game. The best of the best! It has to mean a lot since it’s been one year since Kinect came out. I haven’t been engrossed in such a motion controller game for a long time now. It’s a cleverly crafted game worked around the strengths of the Kinect and there are a very few moments in the game where you go, “why doesn’t this thing work properly!” I’m sure plenty of you have faced this situation when playing a Kinect game, but showcasing the capability of the sensor is pretty tough, and Twisted Pixel are the studios that get it right. The game controls like a charm.

You play as The Gunstringer, and the central theme of the game is revenge. Yeah, nonsensical plot but what did you expect? So you take revenge on people and mow down tons of them on your way. It’s an on-rails game, so you really don’t have to do anything. The game controls the character for you, but you can move sideways using your left hand and it is pretty responsive. The movement is usually for dodging obstacles like rocks or hiding behind cover and peeking out to kill your foes. It rarely becomes annoying, or you don’t really encounter any discomfort when playing the game.

The narration in this game is splendid and keeps the game really exciting, and sort of reminds me of the XBLA game called Bastion. The quality of voice over is simply phenomenal. These are the things that make you immersed in the game, and Twisted Pixel knows that. There is a reason Microsoft bought them, as their work with this Kinect game is simply second to none. It’s an extremely entertaining game where you are the puppet and the developers are the puppet masters. It’s so cleverly done and seamlessly integrated that you will just keep on playing it.

You shoot with your right hand and all you have to do is move your shoulder up and the auto lock on does its trick. The game sends you to various western locations which are decently created and for an arcade game it looks pretty good. There will be a large circle which you have to hover over your foes to make them light up, which means they are targeted. You can kill 5-6 enemies with each shot along with various environmental hazards like TNT and so on. There are some platforming sequences in the game where you have to use your left hand to jump. It is extremely responsive again, and I really have to say, they nailed the controls in this game. If anyone asks you Kinect isn’t that good or unresponsive, show them this game.

There are a lot of enemies on display here, including ghosts. You can blast away all of them. The game has a lot of unlockables that will keep you busy, which includes behind the scenes footage. The retail copy also comes with a copy of Fruit Ninja HD, which if you have played on the iOS, is a terrific game and works well on the Kinect. The game also supports co-op and can be a blast playing with a friends. The Kinect accommodates them all pretty easily. Should I say that this is the best game that is on Kinect? Definitely is. Not only is the game fun but if you own a Kinect this should be in your collection, simply because it works really well.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Microsoft has bought Twisted Pixel, the developers that bought you the Maw, Splosion man and The Gunstringer. Microsoft has been acquiring a few studios to make Kinect games, and this acquisition doesn’t come as a surprise because, Twisted Pixel made a lot of Xbox 360 exclusives.

They are primarily a PC, Xbox 360 studio, and it’s a good choice by Microsoft.

“Twisted Pixel has an incredible track record of innovative, critically acclaimed, and most importantly, fun, games,” said Phil Phencer, corporate vice president, Microsoft Studios.

“Microsoft Studios is home to cutting-edge entertainment experiences, and the incredible creativity of the Twisted Pixel team will help drive further innovation around Kinect and Xbox Live.

Twisted Pixel had a lot of good words to say as well.

“It is really exciting for us to solidify our long-standing relationship with Microsoft Studios, who we consider to be the leader in digital distribution and creating new innovations in gaming like Xbox LIVE and Kinect,” said co-founder and CEO of Twisted Pixel, Michael Wilford.

“As part of the family of Microsoft Studios we look forward to bringing even bigger and richer experiences to Xbox and Twisted Pixel fans around the world,” he added.

After this Acquisition Microsoft Studios increases their studio portfolio to produce more games for their platforms. Stay tuned for our review of the Gunstringer soon and tell us what you think in the comments section.

Developers Twisted Pixel are proud to announce that Gunstringer is now available for the Xbox 360 Kinect as their first retail title released. Play as a gun toting, cowboy, skeletal marionette as you shoot away as enemies only using you swift fingers, hands free for Kinect only.  The game also comes with free DLC entitled ‘The Wavy Tubeman Chronicles’ as well as a code for Fruit Ninja for Kinect for free!  You can’t beat a deal like that for only $39.99.  Check out the launch trailer above and the full press release below as Twisted Pixel has said this is the craziest thing they have done yet.

Sept. 13th, 2011 – Austin, TX – Today is a red letter day for Twisted Pixel, as their first retail title, The Gunstringer, hits shelves nationwide.  In The Gunstringer, you control the fiery gun-toting marionette through his adventures, combining solo platforming and shooting mechanics into fun, competitive action with a full suite of collectibles, unlockables, abilities, rewards and more.  Our story begins with you buried alive and left for dead by your former posse.  As a skeleton cowboy marionette you begin your journey of revenge, aided only by your gritty resolve and trusty pistol. Track your betrayers down, one by one, and bring justice upon them. They will pay a mean price on their own turf, from the plains of the high desert, to the swamps of the bayou, to the east Asian mountains, down to the depths of the undead underworld. Nothing can stand in your way, nothing will stop you on the vengeance trail.

As a special bonus to celebrate the release of The Gunstringer, players can also download a free add-on pack for the game at launch called The Wavy Tube Man Chronicles which pits players against the time-traveling son of Wavy Tube Man, the first boss players battle in the game. As “The Stranger”, fight side by side with Wiley Wiggins as Future Buddy and Aisa Palomares as Future Vixen in this full live action epic.  And let’s not forget the always unpredictable Lloyd Kaufman of Troma Films as Doc Lloyd as you aid him in reclaiming his stolen Time Traviz device.

Along with the disc for The Gunstringer, the retail package will include a token code for the full
downloadable version of Fruit Ninja Kinect via Xbox LIVE. Fruit Ninja Kinect is an amazing evolution of the slice-em-up genre created by Halfbrick, which brings the worldwide mobile gaming phenomenon to Kinect so you can use your arms as blades in an epic battle against the world’s most delicious produce.   All this for $39.99 and in stores now!

The Sploding Table

Pinball FX 2 seems to just keep pumping out more and more pinball tables adding Achievements/Trophies, that I really don’t see any end to this.  Of course this is great news for people who love to play pinball, or at least an arcade pinball game.  All the tables that are released for the game are priced at a low price, unless you are purchasing a package of tables.  For example they have a whole bunch of different Marvel themed tables, like Wolverine and the Fantastic Four.  Even Captain America which we have reviewed right here on the site.  With the latest tables that have been released I would say that they definitely keep it interesting, but the newest table release which is the Ms. Splosion Man table, I would they are starting to keep things up to date now as well.

The first title in the franchise was Splosion Man, which was a super hit on the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace.  What do you do when Splosion Man is in trouble, you call upon Ms. Splosion the second title in the franchise.  The game was the same price and played the same way making a good game, but lacked new features that either make sequels great or horrible.  Regardless this is a review for the Ms. Splosion Man pinball table and not the game, which is one great table.  With all the other tables you used seeing the faces, themes and abilities of some of the characters the previous tables have.  With the Ms. Splosion Man table, it is new, fresh and unique to any other table you can get.  Of course anyone used to the Splosion Man games will be used to explosions and there a lot of them that occur on the table.  Some triggered and sometimes pretty much a pretty much random Splode will occur from the Ms Splosion in the back right corner near you to elsewhere on the table.

The new table is actually a lot of fun and nice change of pace from the other tables.  This one seems faster for some reason, as if there is more going on as Ms. Splosion makes random comments that range from being slightly funny to not making any sense at all.  Ms. Splosion Man developers Twisted Pixel worked along side Zen Studios to really bring the table to life and bring elements from the game to the table to make it one of the best yet.  You will see characters that appear in the arcade game like Scientists and Rollerbots, all while Ms. Splosion stands in her corner occasionally doing a dance or saying classic remark.

Eventually after being able to smash this little head on the table, Might Eternal emerges who is also in the arcade game.  There are so many exploding triggers and there are even traps.  You can even have three pinballs on the table at once.  After Might Eternal emerges, you must overcome many unique challenges, I have never seen in a pinball game before.  If you can manage to master the table, you can free Splosion Man away from the Might Eternal boss, but it is not easy, unless you are a pinball king I suppose.  Well who am I kidding if you are a fan the Pinball FX 2 and play the tables a lot, it really shouldn’t be all that hard.  All in all though it plays out like a mini arcade game within a pinball table, which is why this one is so great.  The other table have their strong points, but this one is unique to them all and any fan of Pinball FX 2 should most definitely get this table.  It will run you 240 Microsoft Points and if you had to choose a table to get, this one could very well be the most satisfying.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Do not let this exploding lady fool you, if you were a fan of the original Splosion Man, you will love Ms. Splosion Man.  The game has taken everything Splosion Man has done and taken it to the next level.  The game is funnier, harder and probably the most creative platformer I have ever played.  There are more modes in the game and a whole new interface that makes the game better than the original one.  At first, I did not want to play what came across as a girl version of Splosion Man, but folks it is far from that, I can assure your.

As Ms. Splosion Man progresses through the many levels made by the developers, you can see the similarities to Splosion Man in the subtleties as she will mumble randomly, sing, and quote things as she scrolls across the level, but sometimes you will hear her humming along as she skates or skips along the way.  You might also catch her singing a No Doubt song (Gwen Stefani), spouting out a movie quote or just saying random humorous things.  The feature for cheating and skipping a level that is giving you a hard time has returned, but like the first game, it does not go without consequences (the first game made you wear a ballerina outfit).  If you choose the skip a level in Ms. Splosion Man, you will be forced to play the entire next level with an enormously large ass, but hey it’s not that bad.  Then again, you will have to hear a very well constructed song about your fat along with the level.

The Scientists that regret creating you are back, and you can explode them once again turning them into t-bone steaks among other things, which of course lets you destroy everything in your path too.  Ms. Splosion Man is actually much harder than the the first game, and I did not think that was even possible, but yet it is.  It is still extremely fun and very addicting as well as rewarding once you complete that level you had been hard at work on for hours.  It is not just the interface that is new, but they have new challenges added, where for instance, the current one will time the top three players in a challenge where they will each win Ms. Splosion Man packages generously being provided by D-toid.  Oh, and don’t worry about the pesky collectables.  Now you have to find shiny, pink high heel shoes… all 47 in single player as well as all 50 in multiplayer.

Speaking of multiplayer, it has returned in Ms. Splosion Man with up to 4 player co-op action and puzzles that are only solvable in mutliplayer, requiring more than one person to solve them.  On top of the exclusive puzzles in multiplayer, the single player and the mutliplayer games are two completely separate campaigns with no relation to each other whatsoever (to make that clear, you are essentially getting two games for the price of one with entirely different experiences).

Now some additional things have changed in Ms. Splosion Man other than you are now a female exploding psychopath.  The environments have also changed slightly, which is pretty cool for a platformer with outdoor areas and sunsets as well as sunrises too.  There is also the added feature of the level select which is set-up like a game board, just like an old school game where you must move across the lines to your next destination granted you have unlocked by beating the previous level.  The game compared to the original Splosion Man is much harder, requires more thinking to figure out how to complete puzzles and the puzzles themselves are even harder to execute.  It can get frustrating at times but it has to be one of the most creative, humorous games on the market.  Plus it feels great once you have completed these tasks and Ms. Splosion Man is packed with content with a lengthy campaign and multiplayer ending in the co-op campaign.  There is even a Mall you can visit where you use coins earned from completing levels to purchase anything from Avatar Items to Music, to Art, Themes and Pictures.  For 800 Microsoft Points, Ms. Splosion Man is well worth the price and you are bound to get a laugh out of it no matter your sense of humor.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

As the game itself in not funny enough, you can now take it’s ridiculous soundtrack with you for free.  That’s the Splosion Man sequel I’m talking about, Ms. Splosion Man which is just as hilarious and difficult as the first one if not more.  Don’t let the lady fool you… she’s insane.  Download Soundtrack on the Official Site here.

Check out this awesome box art revealed for The Gunstringer.

The Gunstringer is a unique and innovative Kinect-based platformer/shooter by Twisted Pixel. The twist: you puppeteer an awesome gun-toting cowboy marionette with your hands.