Camouflaj, a game developer based in Bellevue, Washington, joined Meta’s Oculus studio.
Camouflaj, founded in 2012, is the studio behind the 2013 Republic and 2019 Iron Man VR. Ryan Payton, its CEO, previously served as the creative director of 343 Industries’ Halo 4.
Payton wrote on Camouflaj’s website: “When I founded Camouflaj in 2011, it was never a plan to finally give up independence. But after we met the staff of Oculus Studio, everything changed. They were only friendly and respectful to us.”
The two companies previously cooperated in 2018 and released the VR version of Republique on Oculus Go.
Iron Man VR is a game based on and starring Marvel comic superhero, which was unveiled at the Meta Connect 2022 conference on Tuesday. Oculus itself is preparing to release the Meta Quest 2 independent virtual reality headset Iron Man VR, which will be released on November 3.
Payton wrote: “In the past year, I firmly believe that being a member of Meta will enable us to fully commit ourselves to achieving long-term VR goals, and our values of creating high-quality and meaningful games in a healthy work environment are completely consistent with the goals and values of larger organizations.”
Peyton will continue to be the head of Kamufraj’s studio. After the release of the VR spaceship of Meta Quest version 2 Iron Man, he will focus on an unannounced project. He calls the studio “the largest game to date”
Camouflaj is one of the three developers who announced to join the Oculus Studios network, and ranks with Twisted Pixel (Wilson’s Heart) and Army Studio (Resident Evil 4 VR). The latter two companies are headquartered in Austin, Texas.
A representative of Meta confirmed to GeekWire that all three studios had been formally acquired by Meta, but Meta did not disclose the transaction details.
Other Pacific Northwest game news announcements on Meta Connect 2022 include:
The virtual reality version of Us VR, a popular social deductive game of Innerslow in Raymond, Washington, will be launched in Quest 2 on November 10. The virtual reality version of the game was produced by Schell Games in Pittsburgh and exhibited at Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle in September.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced on Meta Connect that the beta version of Xbox cloud game will enter the Meta Quest store soon. Similar to the current Netflix application, the Xbox of Quest version provides a virtual cinema for players. Xbox games flow from the cloud to the “giant” 2D screen and can be played through the Xbox tablet connected to Quest 2.
Meta’s next VR headset, the “high-end” Meta Quest Pro, will be available on October 25 at a price of $1499.99.