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Archiact

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Archiact
Information
Industry Virtual reality games
Founded 2013
Headquarters Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Notable Personnel Derek Chen (co-founder and president)
Products Waddle Home, Evasion, FREEDIVER: Triton Down, DOOM 3: VR Edition, Journey to Foundation
Website https://www.archiact.com


Archiact (legal name Archiact Interactive Ltd.) was a Canadian virtual reality game studio based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 2013, it began with games for smartphone-based mobile VR headsets, sold through Google Play and the Samsung Gear VR and Oculus stores, then moved on to PC VR, PlayStation VR, Oculus Quest and PlayStation VR2 titles.[1][2] Its games included the penguin puzzle game Waddle Home, the underwater adventure FREEDIVER: Triton Down, DOOM 3: VR Edition (made with id Software) and Journey to Foundation, a narrative game set in Isaac Asimov's Foundation universe.[3][4]

The studio also published other developers' games on PlayStation VR, built an augmented reality game for Marvel and Lenovo, and organized the CVR consumer VR expo in Vancouver. After layoffs in January 2024, Archiact told its staff on 12 August 2024 that it would close, and it shut down on 26 August 2024. In its closing statement the company said it had published more than 35 games.[3]

Reviewed 6 October 2026. Checked claims against their cited sources: founding, 37Games stake, staff and revenue figures, CVR expo, game dates, platforms, prices and Archiact's role, review scores, the January 2024 layoffs and the August 2024 closure. About review dates.

History

Founding and mobile VR

Archiact was founded in 2013.[1][5] A July 2017 profile of the Vancouver company by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada named Derek Chen as the company's co-founder and president.[6] Its first games were for smartphone-based headsets. By March 2016 it had released Lamper VR: First Flight, Lamper VR: Firefly Rescue and Waddle Home, and 37Games said at the time that Lamper VR was the only VR game that supported all mobile VR platforms.[1]

37Games investment and growth

On 7 March 2016 the Chinese game company 37Games announced that it had invested US$3,166,700 in Archiact for a 10% stake. It was 37Games' first investment in virtual reality and part of its "Rising Dragon" plan of investing in game studios around the world. At that point Archiact had a development team of 40 and had signed agreements to publish VR games, including Darknet, in China and the wider Asia-Pacific market.[1] After the investment Archiact opened an office in Shanghai.[7][6]

The company grew quickly over the next year. In March 2017 BetaKit reported that Archiact had gone from 35 to 90 employees in less than 12 months, had started a robotics division, and was moving toward enterprise and business-to-business work alongside games. Dan Burgar, its director of business development, said mobile VR was the path to mass adoption.[7] The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada profile from July 2017 gave a staff of 80 and said that by the end of 2016 Archiact had "signed over 40 content uses and 45 titles, and generated close to $2M in revenue". The same profile said the company was exploring uses of VR in fashion retail, architecture and health care.[6] In November 2017 BC Creates reported that Archiact was about to release Schema, a VR design application for architects.[8] Burgar was also president of the Vancouver chapter of the VR/AR Association.[9]

CVR expo

Archiact hosted CVR 2016, a Consumer Virtual Reality exhibition at the Vancouver Convention Centre East. In its May 2016 review the student newspaper The Ubyssey reported more than 2,000 visitors, a long registration line and demo lines of more than an hour, even at small booths.[10] BetaKit later put the sold-out event at more than 2,800 attendees.[7] Archiact ran the expo again in May 2017. Burgar called it "Vancouver's coming-out party for virtual and augmented reality".[11]

Console and PC VR games

Archiact moved its penguin puzzle game Waddle Home from mobile VR to PlayStation VR in October 2016. According to the studio's marketing manager, the game started as a prototype of Lemmings-style play for mobile VR, and the PlayStation VR version added head and controller tracking so that each level sat in front of the player like a doll house.[12] In 2017 the studio also brought other developers' games to PlayStation VR. It worked with E McNeill on the PlayStation VR edition of Darknet, adding DualShock 4 audio support, interface changes and trophies; UploadVR reported that this version was scheduled for release on 7 March 2017 at US$14.99.[13][14] It also handled the PlayStation VR port of BigBox VR's Smashbox Arena, which was available by 25 July 2017 at US$29.99.[15]

Archiact's original game Evasion, a cooperative sci-fi shooter, was released on 9 October 2018 for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive through SteamVR and for PlayStation VR.[16] Players chose from four hero classes and could fight alone or in teams of up to four.[17] FREEDIVER: Triton Down followed on PC VR on 30 May 2019. Built in Unreal Engine 4, it puts the player inside a sinking research vessel, and the player physically swims through it with the motion controllers, a form of swimming locomotion.[18] An "Extended Cut" with new levels, darkened areas and a flashlight came to PlayStation VR and Oculus Quest on 25 February 2020.[19]

In 2019 Archiact worked with Marvel and Lenovo on MARVEL Dimension of Heroes, an augmented reality game for the smartphone-powered Lenovo Mirage AR headset. It launched on 6 September 2019 and let players fight as six Marvel heroes: Doctor Strange, Captain America, Thor, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Star-Lord.[20][21]

DOOM 3: VR Edition, a PlayStation VR version of id Software's shooter Doom 3, was released on 29 March 2021. Archiact's executive producer Ken Thain wrote that the team had redesigned the weapons, moved interface elements onto them, and added support for the PlayStation VR Aim Controller with a left-handed option. The release includes the main campaign and both expansions and runs on PlayStation 5 through backward compatibility.[22]

Journey to Foundation

Journey to Foundation was revealed during Sony's State of Play broadcast on 23 February 2023.[23] The player is Agent Ward, a spy sent to the edge of the Galactic Empire who uses "Mentalic" abilities to read and influence the emotions of other characters. It launched on PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest 2 and Pico 4 on 26 October 2023, and a PC VR version with higher-resolution textures, updated lighting and spatial audio followed on Steam on 7 June 2024.[24][25] Archiact published the game itself; the Steam listing credits Archiact Interactive Ltd. as both developer and publisher and carries a Skydance Interactive copyright notice, with the Foundation marks credited to Skydance Productions.[2]

Layoffs and closure

In early January 2024 Archiact announced layoffs that reached animation, art, audio, engineering, design, IT, narrative, production and QA. It did not say how many people were affected. Game Developer reported that Archiact had more than 100 employees and a satellite office in Toronto in addition to its Vancouver base.[4] UploadVR reported that the studio did not give a reason and that it was helping affected staff find new jobs through "reverse recruiting".[26]

On 12 August 2024 Archiact told its remaining staff that the studio would close in two weeks, and it closed on 26 August 2024. Its statement, posted on LinkedIn, began: "Archiact's journey is coming to a close."[3][27] The closure came the week after Meta shut down its VR studio Ready at Dawn.[27][5]

Products

Title Release Platforms Archiact's role
Lamper VR: First Flight and Lamper VR: Firefly Rescue Before March 2016 Mobile VR (Google Play, Samsung Gear VR and Oculus stores) Developer and publisher[1]
Waddle Home Mobile VR before March 2016; PlayStation VR October 2016 Mobile VR, PlayStation VR Developer and publisher[1][12]
Darknet (PlayStation VR version) 7 March 2017 PlayStation VR Port and publishing with creator E McNeill[13][14]
Smashbox Arena (PlayStation VR version) July 2017 PlayStation VR Brought BigBox VR's game to PlayStation VR[15]
Evasion 9 October 2018 Oculus Rift, HTC Vive (SteamVR), PlayStation VR Developer[17][16]
MARVEL Dimension of Heroes 6 September 2019 Lenovo Mirage AR Developer, with Marvel and Lenovo[20]
FREEDIVER: Triton Down 30 May 2019 (PC VR); 25 February 2020 (Extended Cut) HTC Vive, Oculus Rift; PlayStation VR and Oculus Quest (Extended Cut) Developer[18][19]
DOOM 3: VR Edition 29 March 2021 PlayStation VR Developer, with id Software[22]
Journey to Foundation 26 October 2023; PC VR 7 June 2024 PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest 2, Pico 4; Steam Developer and publisher[24][2]

Reception

Reviews of Archiact's larger games were mixed. Road to VR gave Evasion 5.5 out of 10; Scott Hayden found it technically competent but called it "an often ineffectual standard arcade shooter", citing repetitive enemies and limited weapon variety.[16] UploadVR gave DOOM 3: VR Edition two out of five stars and called it "a serviceable port of a decent shooter that was never intended to be played in VR", pointing to scale problems, motion sickness from smooth movement, and slow weapon switching.[28] UploadVR's review of Journey to Foundation, played on PlayStation VR2, gave it three out of five stars. It praised the story and characters, found many of the mechanics dated, and described the game as "a time capsule of a bygone VR era".[29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "37Games Invests in Archiact As the First Step Into the VR Market". PR Newswire. 37Games. 2016-03-22. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/37games-invests-in-archiact-as-the-first-step-into-the-vr-market-300238657.html. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Journey to Foundation on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2950330/Journey_to_Foundation/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Henry Stockdale (2024-08-13). "Doom 3 VR Developer Archiact Is Shutting Down". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/archiact-studio-closure/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chris Kerr (2024-01-08). "Independent VR studio Archiact is making layoffs". Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/independent-vr-studio-archiact-is-making-layoffs. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chris Kerr (2024-08-13). "VR studio Archiact is shutting down". Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/vr-studio-archiact-is-shutting-down. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Eva Busza (2017-07-19). "The Tech Corner: Archiact". Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. https://www.asiapacific.ca/blog/tech-corner-archiact. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 William Johnson (2017-03-16). "Archiact says mobile is the key to driving mass VR adoption". BetaKit. https://betakit.com/archiact-says-mobile-is-the-key-to-driving-mass-vr-adoption/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  8. ↑ "Dan Burgar- Archiact". BC Creates. 2017-11-09. https://bccreates.com/dan-burgar-archiact/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  9. ↑ Mike Boland (2017-09-28). "Casting a Wide VR/AR Net: A Conversation with Archiact". AR Insider. https://arinsider.co/2017/09/28/casting-a-wide-vrar-net-a-conversation-with-archiact/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  10. ↑ Nehal Udyavar (2016-05-28). "CVR 2016 showcased an expansive, rapidly growing industry in Vancouver". The Ubyssey. https://www.ubyssey.ca/culture/cvr-2016-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  11. ↑ Kate Wilson (2017-05-09). "CVR Virtual Reality expo in Vancouver brings a vision of the future". The Georgia Straight. https://www.straight.com/life/907001/cvr-virtual-reality-expo-vancouver-brings-vision-future. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Robyn Gummer (2016-10-04). "Lemmings-style puzzler Waddle Home heads to PlayStation VR in October". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/archive/2016/10/04/lemmings-style-puzzler-waddle-home-heads-to-playstation-vr-in-october. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Renee Klint (2017-01-17). "Darknet Hits PS VR in Early 2017". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2017/01/17/darknet-hits-ps-vr-in-early-2017/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 David Jagneaux (2017-02-21). "Hacker Puzzle Game Darknet Releasing on PSVR This March". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/darknet-psvr-release/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Jamie Feltham (2017-07-25). "Here's How Smashbox Arena Works On PSVR, Out Now". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/smashbox-arena-will-work-psvr/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Scott Hayden (2018-10-09). "'Evasion' Review - Strafe, Shoot, Heal, Rinse & Repeat". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/evasion-review-strafe-shoot-heal-rinse-repeat/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Evasion". Archiact. https://www.archiact.com/evasion. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Jamie Feltham (2019-05-23). "Intense Underwater Survival Game Freediver Launches Next Week". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/freediver-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Scott Hayden (2020-02-25). "'FREEDIVER: Triton Down' Arrives on PSVR & Quest Today in New 'Extended Cut'". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/freediver-triton-down-psvr-vr-archiact/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Sam Sprigg (2019-09-06). "'MARVEL Dimension of Heroes' Augmented Reality experiences launches on Lenovo Mirage AR today". Auganix. https://www.auganix.org/marvel-dimension-of-heroes-augmented-reality-experiences-launches-on-lenovo-mirage-ar-today/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  21. ↑ "Lenovo Mirage AR to Superpower a New Augmented Reality Experience: MARVEL Dimension of Heroes". Lenovo StoryHub. Lenovo. 2019-09-05. https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/press-releases/lenovo-mirage-ar-superpower-new-augmented-reality-experience-marvel-dimension-of-heroes/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Ken Thain (2021-03-26). "How Doom 3's combat experience has been sharpened up for PS VR". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2021/03/26/how-doom-3s-combat-experience-has-been-sharpened-up-for-ps-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  23. ↑ Ian Hamilton (2023-02-23). "Journey To Foundation Coming 2023 To PSVR 2, Quest 2 & Pico 4". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/journey-to-foundation-2023/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Richard Allen (2023-10-03). "Journey to Foundation, a narrative VR adventure based on Isacc Asimov's Foundation series, launches October 26th". Gaming Trend. https://gamingtrend.com/news/journey-to-foundation-a-narrative-vr-adventure-based-on-isacc-asimovs-foundation-series-launches-october-26th/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  25. ↑ Henry Stockdale (2024-05-29). "Journey To Foundation Reaches Its Destination Next Month On PC VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/journey-to-foundation-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  26. ↑ Henry Stockdale (2024-01-05). "Journey To Foundation Developer Archiact Confirms Layoffs". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/archiact-vr-layoffs/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Josef Erl (2024-08-14). "VR studio Archiact is forced to close down after eleven years in business". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/vr-studio-archiact-is-forced-to-close-down-after-eleven-years-in-business/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  28. ↑ Jamie Feltham (2021-03-28). "Doom 3: VR Edition Review - A Serviceable Port Of A Game Never Intended For VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/doom-3-vr-edition-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  29. ↑ Diego Nicolás Argüello (2024-06-03). "Journey To Foundation Review: An Ambitious VR Time Capsule". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/journey-to-foundation-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
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