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Owlchemy Labs

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(Redirected from Owlchemy Labs, Inc.)
Owlchemy Labs
Information
Type Subsidiary
Industry Video games, virtual reality
Founded 2010
Founder Alex Schwartz, Devin Reimer
Headquarters Austin, Texas, United States
Notable Personnel Andrew Eiche (CEO)
Products Job Simulator, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, Vacation Simulator, Cosmonious High, Dimensional Double Shift
Parent Google
Website https://owlchemylabs.com


Owlchemy Labs is a VR game studio that was founded by Alex Schwartz. It was acquired by Google in May 2017.[1] The studio was founded in 2010 and is based in Austin, Texas; it describes itself as an XR studio focused on "polished, playful VR games and experiences".[2]

Owlchemy is best known for Job Simulator, a launch title for the HTC Vive in 2016 that went on to sell more than one million copies and, by January 2026, had passed 6 million installs across VR platforms.[3] Its other VR games include Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality (2017), Vacation Simulator (2019), Cosmonious High (2022) and Dimensional Double Shift, a free-to-play, hand-tracked co-op game that entered open beta in 2024.[2] UploadVR reported in 2023 that the studio had focused on hand tracking in recent years.[4]

Reviewed 27 September 2026. Every cited source re-opened to check dates, prices, sales and install figures, leadership changes, release platforms, the FarBridge Kickstarter and the September 2026 single-player announcement. About review dates.

History

Early games (2010-2015)

Owlchemy Labs was founded in 2010.[2] In early 2011 the Associated Press described it as a Boston-based company, with Schwartz as the developer behind Smuggle Truck: Operation Immigration, a satirical physics game about driving a truck of immigrants across the United States border. Schwartz said the idea came from the frustration friends faced while trying to immigrate to the United States; the Massachusetts Immigrants & Refugee Advocacy Coalition criticized the game.[5] Apple rejected the game from the iOS App Store. Owlchemy released it for iPhone and iPad in April 2011 as Snuggle Truck, with animals taken from the wilderness to a zoo in place of immigrants; Schwartz said the changes were "minor art changes and some swapped sound effects". The PC and Mac version, sold under the Smuggle Truck name, included both versions.[6][7]

Owlchemy's other early games include Jack Lumber, about a lumberjack seeking revenge on trees; Dyscourse, a survival game in which choices made by a group of travelers marooned on an island shape the outcome; and Aaaaa! for the Awesome!, which the studio describes as a semi-sequel to the base-jumping PC game AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!. It also made two base-jumping games for early VR hardware: Aaaaaculus! for the Oculus Rift and Caaaaardboard! for Google Cardboard on Google Play, which Owlchemy calls the top-selling mobile VR game of all time.[8]

Job Simulator and early VR (2015-2017)

Andrew Eiche joined Owlchemy in late 2015 as a producer on Job Simulator.[9] The game, set in a 2050 where robots have replaced human jobs, came free with the HTC Vive for a limited time after the headset's 2016 launch and was also released that year for PlayStation VR and the Oculus Rift with Oculus Touch controllers.[3][10] In March 2016, Road to VR reported the studio's observation that virtual hands felt better when they disappeared while an object was held, so that the player's sense of hand presence moved to the held object; the developers coined the term "tomato presence" for this effect.[11] The studio also developed a spectator mode and depth-based mixed reality techniques for showing VR gameplay to people outside the headset.[12]

In January 2017, UploadVR reported that Job Simulator had passed 3 million US dollars in gross revenue before store cuts, across Rift, Vive and PlayStation VR. Schwartz said Vive bundle copies made up "a very small portion" of that revenue, and the article noted that Owlchemy had raised 5 million US dollars the previous August.[13] TechCrunch listed the seed investors as Capital Factory, Qualcomm Ventures, the Colopl VR Fund, HTC and The Venture Reality Fund.[1] On 20 April 2017, Owlchemy released Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, published by Adult Swim Games for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, after more than a year of development with series co-creator Justin Roiland, who provided voice work.[14]

Acquisition by Google (2017)

Google announced the acquisition on 10 May 2017 without disclosing a price. Relja Markovic, an engineering director for Google VR and AR, said the combined teams would work on "engaging, immersive games" and new interaction models across many platforms, and Owlchemy's games stayed on the HTC Vive, PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift.[1] Owlchemy said at the time that it had grown from four people to 23 employees.[12]

Leadership changes (2018-2023)

In June 2018, co-founder and CEO Alex Schwartz and studio director Cy Wise left to start a new company together. Devin Reimer moved from chief technology officer to CEO, Andrew Eiche became CTO, and Autumn Taylor became studio director.[15][16] The studio said Reimer had been with Owlchemy since its early days.[17]

Vacation Simulator, the sequel to Job Simulator, launched on 9 April 2019 for SteamVR and Oculus headsets at 29.99 US dollars, with a PlayStation VR release following in summer 2019.[18] In January 2020, Owlchemy announced that Job Simulator had sold more than one million units, by then on the Rift, PlayStation VR and Oculus Quest as well as the Vive.[19] In July 2021, 9to5Google reported that the studio was hiring to support development of a new, unannounced VR game.[20] Cosmonious High, in which the player is a Prismi who crash-lands at an alien high school, launched on 31 March 2022 for Meta Quest 2 and SteamVR.[21]

In February 2023, Owlchemy announced that Reimer would step down and that Eiche, then chief operating officer, would become CEO on 3 March 2023. According to the announcement, Reimer was leaving after more than 12 years, during which the company grew from two people to a staff of more than 50. Eiche had earlier been executive producer of Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, guided the launch of Cosmonious High and oversaw the studio's work on hand tracking and accessibility.[9][4] Speaking to Game Developer in March 2023, co-founder Reimer said the studio had been experimenting with hand tracking for about two years and described it as more intuitive than controllers for people outside gaming.[22]

Hand tracking and multiplatform releases (2024-present)

On 28 May 2024, Owlchemy released Job Simulator (19.99 US dollars) and Vacation Simulator (29.99 US dollars) on the Apple Vision Pro. At the same time, a free update made both games playable with hands only on Meta Quest; the studio said this ended an experimental phase of nearly four years of hand-tracking development. The announcement stated that each game had sold more than one million copies.[23] Road to VR lists a PlayStation VR2 release of Job Simulator in 2023, and reports that the game joined Meta's Horizon+ subscription in March 2025.[3]

Dimensional Double Shift opened as a free open beta on Meta Quest on 26 September 2024. It is built entirely around hand tracking, and up to four players work together at the Gas N' Grill, an "omnidimensional diner and service station".[24] It was the studio's first multiplayer game and its first free-to-play release. Eiche told Game Developer that a premium price would have put a four-player group at around 80 US dollars in total, and that the team spent three years on problems such as players' personal space in close co-op play.[25] Paid content followed, including the Hexas Dimension Pack at 4.99 US dollars in April 2025.[26] On 11 December 2025 the game launched on Samsung Galaxy XR with cross-play, alongside a Solo Practice mode.[27]

In January 2026, at the tenth anniversary of Job Simulator, Owlchemy said the game had passed 6 million installs and that Dimensional Double Shift had passed 1 million downloads. Road to VR noted that installs are not the same as sales, since the count includes the free Vive bundle copies, Horizon+ subscribers and VR arcade licensing.[3][28]

On 11 August 2026, Owlchemy and the Austin studio FarBridge announced Job Simulator: Human Relations, a four-player co-op game for flat screens on PC developed by FarBridge. It is the first game in the series made outside VR, and a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of 150,000 US dollars was opened to fund it; no release date had been set.[29][30]

On 14 September 2026, Owlchemy announced a paid single-player mode for Dimensional Double Shift, planned for the first half of 2027, in which robotic coworkers called T.E.M.P.s (Totally Expendable Multi-dimensional Personnel) assist a solo player. According to Owlchemy, the mode uses non-generative AI to interpret players' spoken requests, while all dialogue is written by the studio's team. The studio also announced that the game is coming to Valve's Steam Frame.[31] GamesBeat reported that the characters use the Behavior Engine from Artificial Agency, an AI company based in Edmonton, Canada.[32] By then the game had logged more than 2.5 million hours of play, according to Owlchemy.[31]

Games

Title Year Platforms Notes
Smuggle Truck / Snuggle Truck 2011 PC, Mac, iOS iOS version reworked as Snuggle Truck after Apple rejected the original[6]
Aaaaaculus! Oculus Rift Base-jumping game[8]
Caaaaardboard! Google Cardboard (Google Play) Skydiving and base-jumping game[8]
Job Simulator 2016 HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR; later Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR2, Apple Vision Pro HTC Vive launch bundle title; more than 1 million copies sold by January 2020[3][19]
Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality 2017 HTC Vive, Oculus Rift Published by Adult Swim Games[14]
Vacation Simulator 2019 SteamVR, Oculus, PlayStation VR; later Apple Vision Pro Sequel to Job Simulator[18][23]
Cosmonious High 2022 Meta Quest 2, SteamVR Released 31 March 2022[21]
Dimensional Double Shift 2024 (open beta) Meta Quest, Samsung Galaxy XR; Steam Frame announced Free-to-play, hand-tracked co-op for up to four players[24][31]

Community and accessibility

Owlchemy founded VR Austin, a meetup group that it says has more than 2,000 members.[2] Eiche has served as a co-chair of the XR Association's accessibility board, according to the studio's 2023 announcement.[9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lucas Matney (2017-05-10). "Google acquires Owlchemy Labs VR game studio". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/10/google-acquires-owlchemy-labs-vr-game-studio/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "About Owlchemy Labs". Owlchemy Labs. https://owlchemylabs.com/about-us. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Scott Hayden (2026-01-26). "Perennial VR Classic 'Job Simulator' Hits 6 Million Installs, Averaging 600,000 Units Annually". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/job-simulator-6-million-downloads-2026/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ian Hamilton (2023-02-19). "Google's Most Experienced VR Studio Changes Leadership". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/google-vr-owlchemy-labs-ceo/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  5. ↑ The Associated Press (2011-02-07). "Mass. Company Draws Fire For Immigration Game App". WBUR News. https://www.wbur.org/news/2011/02/07/massachusetts-immigration-game. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Alexander Sliwinski (2011-04-28). "Smuggle Truck now Snuggle Truck on iOS after Apple rejection, PC/Mac version includes both". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2011-04-28-smuggle-truck-now-snuggle-truck-on-ios-after-apple-rejection-pc.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  7. ↑ Jeff Mattas (2011-04-28). "Smuggle Truck hits PC and Mac; cuddlier Snuggle Truck hits iOS". Shacknews. https://www.shacknews.com/article/68275/smuggle-truck-hits-pc-and. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Our Games". Owlchemy Labs. https://owlchemylabs.com/games. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Owlchemy Labs Announces Plans For COOwl Andrew Eiche To Step Into CEOwl Role, Continuing Company's Mission to Push VR Forward". TriplePoint Newsroom. Owlchemy Labs. 2023-02-16. https://pressreleases.triplepointpr.com/2023/02/16/owlchemy-labs-announces-plans-for-coowl-andrew-eiche-to-step-into-ceowl-role-continuing-companys-mission-to-push-vr-forward/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  10. ↑ "Job Simulator Presskit". Owlchemy Labs. https://jobsimulatorgame.com/press/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  11. ↑ Kent Bye (2016-03-08). "'Job Simulator' and the Magic of Hand Presence". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/job-simulator-magic-hand-presence/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Owlchemy Labs and Google join forces for the future of VR". Owlchemy Labs. 2017-05-10. https://owlchemylabs.com/blog/owlchemy-labs-and-google-join-forces. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  13. ↑ Ian Hamilton (2017-01-06). "$3 Million Milestone: Owlchemy's 'Job Simulator' Is One of VR's Best Selling Games". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/job-simulator-3-million/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality - Available Now!". Owlchemy Labs. 2017-04-20. https://owlchemylabs.com/blog/rick-and-morty-vr-available-now. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  15. ↑ Alissa McAloon (2018-06-19). "Both Owlchemy Labs' CEO and studio director are leaving to start something new". Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/both-owlchemy-labs-ceo-and-studio-director-are-leaving-to-start-something-new. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  16. ↑ Ian Hamilton (2018-06-19). "Owlchemy Labs Co-Founder Departs To Found New Startup". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/owlchemy-labs-schwartz-departure/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  17. ↑ "Announcing new leadership at Owlchemy Labs". Owlchemy Labs. 2018-06-18. https://owlchemylabs.com/blog/announcing-new-leadership-at-owlchemy-labs. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Vacation Simulator Destination Reveal + Launch Date". Owlchemy Labs. 2019-03-05. https://owlchemylabs.com/blog/vacation-simulator-destination-reveal-launch-date. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 David Jagneaux (2020-01-09). "Job Simulator Has Now Sold Over 1 Million Units". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/job-simulator-has-now-sold-over-1-million-units/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  20. ↑ Abner Li (2021-07-20). "Google still owns a VR game studio with a brand new Owlchemy Labs title in the works". 9to5Google. https://9to5google.com/2021/07/20/google-owlchemy-labs-vr-games/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Join the Cosmic Chaos When Cosmonious High Launches for Meta Quest 2 and SteamVR on March 31". Owlchemy Labs. 2022-03-03. https://owlchemylabs.com/blog/join-the-cosmic-chaos-when-cosmonious-high-launches-for-meta-quest-2-and-steamvr-on-march-31. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  22. ↑ Bryant Francis (2023-03-07). "Owlchemy Labs execs: Hand tracking is next major leap for VR". Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/owlchemy-labs-co-founders-hand-tracking-is-next-major-leap-for-vr. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Owlchemy Labs Launches Two Best-Selling Titles, Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator, On Apple Vision Pro". TriplePoint Newsroom. Owlchemy Labs. 2024-05-28. https://pressreleases.triplepointpr.com/2024/05/28/owlchemy-labs-launches-two-best-selling-titles-job-simulator-and-vacation-simulator-on-apple-vision-pro/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Scott Hayden (2024-09-24). "New Quest Game from 'Job Simulator' Studio Surprise-launches This Week, Built Entirely Around Hand-tracking". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/job-simulator-studio-dimensional-double-shift-quest-3-release/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  25. ↑ Bryant Francis (2025-02-27). "Owlchemy Labs' Dimensional Double Shift shows what's next for VR development". Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/extended-reality/owlchemy-labs-dimensional-double-shift-shows-what-s-next-for-vr-development. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  26. ↑ "Dimensional Double Shift 2025 Road Map, What's Next For Owlchemy". Owlchemy Labs. 2025-04-15. https://owlchemylabs.com/blog/owlchemy-labs-2025-roadmap-dimensional-double-shift. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  27. ↑ "Owlchemy Labs Launches Dimensional Double Shift on Samsung Galaxy XR Headset, Alongside Massive December Update for All Players". TriplePoint Newsroom. Owlchemy Labs. 2025-12-11. https://pressreleases.triplepointpr.com/2025/12/11/owlchemy-labs-launches-dimensional-double-shift-on-samsung-galaxy-xr-headset-alongside-massive-december-update-for-all-players/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  28. ↑ TJ Denzer (2026-01-22). "Owlchemy Labs shares that Dimensional Double Shift has passed over 1 million downloads". Shacknews. https://www.shacknews.com/article/147534/owlchemy-labs-dimensional-double-shift-1-million. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  29. ↑ "Owlchemy Labs and Farbridge Studios Team Up For A New Job Simulator Experience". Owlchemy Labs. 2026-08-11. https://owlchemylabs.com/blog/new-job-simulator-game-2026-owlchemy-farbridge. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  30. ↑ Chase Fiorini (2026-08-11). "Job Simulator Launches Kickstarter for First Non-VR Co-Op Game in Decade". Tech Times. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/324006/20260811/job-simulator-launches-kickstarter-first-non-vr-co-op-game-decade.htm. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 "Short-Staffed? Dimensional Double Shift Gets a Single Player Mode in First Half of 2027; Steam Frame Support Announced". TriplePoint Newsroom. Owlchemy Labs. 2026-09-14. https://pressreleases.triplepointpr.com/2026/09/14/short-staffed-dimensional-double-shift-gets-a-single-player-mode-in-first-half-of-2027-steam-frame-support-announced/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  32. ↑ Dean Takahashi (2026-09-14). "Owlchemy taps Artificial Agency for agentic AI characters in Dimensional Double Shift XR game". GamesBeat. https://gamesbeat.com/owlchemy-taps-artificial-agency-for-agentic-ai-characters-in-dimensional-double-shift-xr-game/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
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