Report: The Recent Studio Closures At Meta Also Killed A Planned Sequel For Batman Arkham Shadow

In 2024, many were surprised by the late year release that was Batman Arkham Shadow. In our 10/10 review, Rectify Gaming echoed the shared sentiment of the game’s excellence. “Arkham Shadow redefines virtual reality for the Meta Quest, much like Half-Life: Alyx did for the PC. It’s an amazing story, a technical marvel, and an exciting experience.” And at no surprise, talent for the game soon after confirmed a sequel was already underway for the title.

However, there has been a major shake up at Meta internally for its virtual reality empire. Just this month, it was confirmed that the social media giant is shuttering three of its first-party teams: Armature Studio, Sanzaru Games, and Twisted Pixel. More surprising is that the last team, Twisted Pixel, shipped Marvel’s Deadpool VR just this past fall and was nominated for Best VR Game as well.

Despite the already upsetting news for the virtual reality world, there is more information that has come amid the dust still settling. According to outlet Aftermath, it was reported that the chances for a Batman Arkham Shadow sequel has also been squandered as well. The publication that spoke with individuals affected by the layoffs shared the sequel was in development at Sanzaru Games, but the team is no more as of this past week.

Even more, there was additional crossfire that hit other virtual reality studios as well. Via Kotaku, it was confirmed by a Meta spokesperson that Camouflaj was also affected by mass firings. But, the team is not shutting down. Speaking to Aftermath, one anonymous former employee said there is hardly a handful of talent that are working on “the new user experience for upcoming hardware.”

This is not the first time that Meta has closed down talent it acquired previously. In 2024, the firm also shuttered The Order: 1886, Lone Echo developer Ready at Dawn. You can read the full report by heading here.

How upset are you about this new development at Meta?

Source: Aftermath