Sanzaru Games
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| Sanzaru Games | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Industry | Video games, Virtual reality |
| Founded | November 2006 (operations began January 2007) |
| Headquarters | San Mateo, California, United States (earlier Foster City, California) |
| Notable Personnel | Glen Egan (President and CEO) |
| Products | Asgard's Wrath, Asgard's Wrath 2, Marvel Powers United VR, Ripcoil, VR Sports Challenge |
| Parent | Oculus Studios (Meta Platforms, formerly Facebook), 2020-2026 |
| Website | https://www.sanzaru.com |
Sanzaru Games was an American video game developer based in the San Francisco Bay Area that became one of the first studios to make games for Oculus headsets. It made four Oculus-exclusive titles between 2016 and 2019, including the action role-playing game Asgard's Wrath, before Facebook acquired it in February 2020 and placed it under Oculus Studios.[1][2] Its last game was Asgard's Wrath 2 (2023) for the Meta Quest line.[3]
Before it moved into VR, the studio worked on console and handheld games, among them Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and two Sonic Boom games.[4] In January 2026 Meta closed Sanzaru along with Twisted Pixel and Armature Studio as part of job cuts in its Reality Labs division.[3][5]
History
Founding and console work
Sanzaru's website gives its founding date as November 2006.[6] An earlier version of the site said the studio was founded in 2007 by seven experienced game developers, that it was a California corporation, and that it was located in Foster City, California.[7] In a January 2008 interview with Gamasutra, president and CEO Glen Egan said he had worked at Z-Axis from 1998, stayed on after Activision acquired it, and left at the end of 2006. The studio opened in January 2007 and had about 20 staff at the time of that interview. Its first project was Ninja Reflex, an action game co-published by Nunchuck Games and Electronic Arts.[8]
The name refers to the three wise monkeys; the studio said the three monkeys stood for its view that good games need good design, clear visuals and a strong technology base.[6] The same archived page said the team had grown to more than 60 people, and its credits included Secret Agent Clank for the PlayStation 2, The Sly Collection, and Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident for the Wii.[7] Later console and handheld work included Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, 2013), Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (Nintendo 3DS, 2016) and Tron RUN/r (PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One, 2016). The studio's site also lists work on Spyro Reignited Trilogy.[9]
Oculus titles
Sanzaru started working with Oculus before the first consumer Oculus Rift shipped, and Facebook later described it as the first developer to partner with the Oculus Studios team.[2][1] Its first two VR games arrived for the launch of the Oculus Touch controllers in December 2016.[10] VR Sports Challenge, a collection of American football, basketball, hockey and baseball events, was bundled free with Touch from 6 December 2016.[11] Ripcoil was a two-player networked disc battle game set in a space arena.[9][10]
Marvel Powers United VR, a co-op action game made with Marvel Games and Oculus Studios, followed on 26 July 2018 for the Rift.[12] Asgard's Wrath, a Rift-exclusive role-playing game set in Norse mythology that Sanzaru had described as having more than 30 hours of content, launched on 10 October 2019.[13] Road to VR gave it its 2019 Game of the Year award.[2]
Facebook acquisition
Facebook announced the acquisition on 25 February 2020 and did not disclose terms. Mike Verdu, Facebook's director of content, wrote that Sanzaru would continue as an independent studio within Oculus Studios, with offices in the United States and Canada.[1][2][4] GamesIndustry.biz reported that the studio had three offices across California and Ontario, that the "vast majority" of its employees would join Oculus Studios, and that some staff whose jobs depended on particular projects would leave.[4] Road to VR noted that the deal came a few months after Facebook bought Beat Games, the developer of Beat Saber, and after Sony acquired Stormland developer Insomniac Games.[2]
By early December 2020 Oculus had removed Marvel Powers United VR, Ripcoil and VR Sports Challenge from sale. Owners could keep playing until 1 March 2021; after that date, Oculus told Road to VR, Marvel Powers United VR and Ripcoil would become entirely inaccessible, including their single-player content.[10]
Asgard's Wrath 2 and closure
Asgard's Wrath 2 was released on 15 December 2023 for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro at 59.99 US dollars, and new Quest 3 buyers received a free copy through 27 January 2024.[14][15] UploadVR reported that Sanzaru promised around 60 hours of play and that Meta confirmed a mixed reality mode for Quest 3 and Quest Pro.[15] It won Immersive Reality Game of the Year at the 2024 D.I.C.E. Awards.[16]
In January 2025 the studio released the last major content update for Asgard's Wrath 2 and told players on Discord that it was "switching focus" to its "next big thing", without naming the project.[17] On 13 January 2026 Meta closed Sanzaru, Twisted Pixel and Armature Studio while cutting more than 1,000 jobs in Reality Labs, roughly 10 percent of the division.[3][5][18] In a statement to Engadget quoted by Game Informer, a Meta spokesperson said the company was "shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables" and planned to reinvest the savings in wearables.[5]
In May 2026 a group of former Sanzaru developers announced a new studio, Sneaky Devil Studios, which said it would make original games for console and PC.[19]
VR games
| Title | Release | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| VR Sports Challenge | 6 December 2016 | Oculus Rift with Oculus Touch | Bundled with Touch; removed from sale by December 2020[11][10] |
| Ripcoil | December 2016 | Oculus Rift with Oculus Touch | Two-player online disc game; inaccessible after 1 March 2021[10] |
| Marvel Powers United VR | 26 July 2018 | Oculus Rift | Co-op action game with Marvel Games; inaccessible after 1 March 2021[12][10] |
| Asgard's Wrath | 10 October 2019 | Oculus Rift | Road to VR's 2019 Game of the Year[13][2] |
| Asgard's Wrath 2 | 15 December 2023 | Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro | D.I.C.E. Immersive Reality Game of the Year 2024[14][16] |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mike Verdu (2020-02-25). "Welcoming Sanzaru Games to Facebook". Meta Quest Blog. Meta. https://www.meta.com/blog/welcoming-sanzaru-games-to-facebook/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Ben Lang (2020-02-25). "Facebook Acquires the VR Studio Behind 'Asgard's Wrath', Sanzaru Games". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/facebook-acquires-sanzaru-games-asgards-wrath-oculus-studios/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 David Heaney, Ian Hamilton (2026-01-13). "Meta Closes Twisted Pixel, Armature & Sanzaru Games". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-closes-twisted-pixel-armature-sanzaru-games/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Rebekah Valentine (2020-02-25). "Facebook acquires Sanzaru Games". GamesIndustry.biz. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-02-25-facebook-acquires-sanzaru-games. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Marcus Stewart (2026-01-14). "Meta Closes Twisted Pixel, Sanzaru Games, And Armature Studio". Game Informer. https://gameinformer.com/2026/01/14/meta-closes-twisted-pixel-sanzaru-games-and-armature-studio. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "About". Sanzaru Games. https://www.sanzaru.com/about/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "About us". Sanzaru Games (archived). 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20130528192648/http://www.sanzaru.com/wp/about-us/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Christian Nutt (2008-01-16). "Q&A: Sanzaru's Egan On Fun With Ninja Reflex, Wii Development". Gamasutra (Game Developer). https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/q-a-sanzaru-s-egan-on-fun-with-i-ninja-reflex-i-wii-development. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Games". Sanzaru Games. https://www.sanzaru.com/games/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Scott Hayden (2020-12-02). "Facebook Shuttering 'MARVEL Powers United VR' & 'Ripcoil', Refunds Available Within 6 Months of Purchase". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/marvel-powers-united-vr-oculus-facebook/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Joe Durbin (2016-11-20). "'VR Sports Challenge' Review: More Than Just The 'Wii Sports' of VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/vr-sports-challenge-review-touch/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Unveiling the 'MARVEL Powers United VR' Launch Trailer - Plus a Special Edition Bundle". Meta Quest Blog. Meta. 2018-07-19. https://www.meta.com/blog/unveiling-the-marvel-powers-united-vr-launch-trailer-plus-a-special-edition-bundle/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 David Jagneaux (2019-09-25). "OC6: AAA RPG Asgard's Wrath Is Slashing Its Way Onto Rift This October". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/oc6-asgards-wrath-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Awaken, Cosmic Guardian: 'Asgard's Wrath 2' Now Available on Meta Quest!". Meta Quest Blog. Meta. 2023-12-15. https://www.meta.com/blog/asgards-wrath-2-launch/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Harry Baker (2023-09-27). "Asgard's Wrath 2 Releases December 15 For Meta Quest Headsets". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/asgards-wrath-2-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Tomislav Bezmalinovic (2024-02-16). "These VR games won at the D.I.C.E Awards 2024". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/dice-awards-2024-vr-nominees/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Henry Stockdale (2025-01-13). "Asgard's Wrath 2 Gets Last Content Update As Sanzaru Games Looks To The "Next Big Thing"". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/asgards-wrath-2-sanzaru-games-next-project/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Rachel Kaser (2026-01-13). "Meta closes Sanzaru Games, Armature Studio and Twisted Pixel". GamesBeat. https://gamesbeat.com/meta-closes-sanzaru-games-armature-studio-and-twisted-pixel/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ David Jagneaux (2026-05-11). "New Studio Formed by Ex-Sanzaru Developers After Meta Closure". 80 Level. https://80.lv/articles/new-studio-formed-by-ex-sanzaru-developers-after-meta-closure. Retrieved 2026-09-29.