Rec Room Inc announced on March 30 that its free-to-play social VR game will close on June 1. The studio cited ongoing profitability challenges amid shifts in the VR market and broader gaming industry headwinds. Over 150 million players have engaged with the game since its 2016 launch.
Rec Room, a popular platform for user-created spaces and games in VR and non-VR modes, has served millions since 2016. Early adopters on platforms like PSVR helped build its community, with some user rooms accumulating over 500 years of playtime. However, Rec Room Inc stated that despite this success, the studio never achieved sustainable profits. Costs consistently outpaced revenue, the developers explained in their announcement blog post. They noted a recent shift in the VR market and wider gaming challenges as key factors in the decision. “Despite this popularity, we never quite figured out how to make Rec Room a sustainably profitable business,” the team wrote. “Our costs always ended up overwhelming the revenue we brought in.” To ease the transition, Rec Room Inc is providing advance notice and unlocking premium features for all players. New friendships, account creations, and subscriptions are now disabled. Creators can download assets from their rooms for potential use on other platforms. Snapchat parent company Snap has acquired some assets, and select Rec Room employees will join the Seattle-based firm. “On behalf of the team, we’d like to thank you for being a part of the Rec Room community,” the developers concluded. “Your boundless creativity and enthusiasm has been a source of great inspiration and joy. We wish we could have found a way to keep things rolling, but unfortunately this is the end of the road.”
