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Twisted Pixel Games

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Twisted Pixel Games
Information
Type Subsidiary
Industry Video games
Founded 2006
Founder Michael Wilford, Frank Wilson, Josh Bear
Headquarters Austin, Texas, United States
Notable Personnel Michael Wilford (co-founder and CEO in 2011), Josh Bear (co-founder), Bill Muehl (executive producer in 2015)
Products Wilson's Heart, B-Team, Defector, Path of the Warrior, Marvel's Deadpool VR
Parent Meta Platforms (Oculus Studios), 2021-2026; Microsoft (Microsoft Studios), 2011-2015
Website https://twistedpixelgames.com


Twisted Pixel Games (also called Twisted Pixel) was an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2006 and made downloadable Xbox 360 games such as The Maw and 'Splosion Man before turning to virtual reality in partnership with Oculus Studios.[1][2] Its VR games were Wilson's Heart (2017), B-Team (2018), Defector (2019), Path of the Warrior (2019) and Marvel's Deadpool VR (2025).[1][3]

The studio changed owners three times. Microsoft bought it in October 2011, it became independent again in September 2015, and Meta Platforms acquired it in November 2021, according to a 2022 Federal Trade Commission complaint; Meta announced at Connect in October 2022 that the studio had joined Oculus Studios.[2][4][5][6] Meta closed Twisted Pixel in January 2026 as part of layoffs in its Reality Labs division, less than two months after Marvel's Deadpool VR was released.[3]

Reviewed 29 September 2026. Founding, founders, Microsoft and Meta ownership dates, VR game release dates, prices, review scores, quotes and the January 2026 closure checked against the cited official, FTC and press sources. About review dates.

History

Founding and Xbox years

Twisted Pixel was founded in 2006 by Michael Wilford, Frank Wilson and Josh Bear.[7] All three had previously worked at High Voltage Software.[8] Gamasutra described it in 2008 as one of a new group of independent studios created to pursue digital distribution. Before releasing its own games it took work-for-hire jobs, including NBA Ballers: Chosen One and Blitz: The League II for Midway, and at that point it had 11 full-time and 4 part-time staff.[7] Wilford told Game Informer in 2011 that Twisted Pixel had been the first company to get a green light for WiiWare, but the approval stopped mattering a month later when Nintendo of Japan changed its approach and essentially every developer was greenlit.[8]

The studio's first original game, The Maw, came out on Xbox 360 in 2009. Further Xbox titles followed: 'Splosion Man, Comic Jumper, The Gunstringer, Ms. 'Splosion Man and LocoCycle.[1] The Gunstringer (2011) was built for the Kinect sensor, and LocoCycle was released in 2013.[9]

Microsoft ownership (2011-2015)

On 12 October 2011, Microsoft announced that Microsoft Studios had acquired Twisted Pixel.[2][10] Phil Spencer, then corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios, said the studio had "an incredible track record of innovative, critically acclaimed, and most importantly, fun, games", and Wilford, named in the announcement as co-founder and CEO, said the deal would "solidify our long-standing relationship with Microsoft Studios".[2]

Twisted Pixel spun out of Microsoft and became independent again on 30 September 2015. Executive producer Bill Muehl said the transition "has been in the works for a few months" and that both companies had worked together on it; no financial details were given.[4]

Oculus partnership and VR games (2015-2021)

According to the studio, it began working with Oculus Studios in 2015, early in the life of the Oculus VR platform.[1] Its first VR project, Wilson's Heart, was announced by Oculus on 13 June 2016, the day before E3 officially began, as an exclusive for Oculus Touch; Road to VR described it as the studio's first VR development.[9] The game was funded by Oculus Studios and released on 25 April 2017 for the Oculus Rift with Touch at US$39.99. It is a psychological thriller in which the player, as hospital patient Robert Wilson, wakes to find his heart replaced by a device; Peter Weller, Rosario Dawson and Alfred Molina were in the voice cast.[11] Game Informer gave it 6.75 out of 10. The review praised its atmosphere, camp and long-form narrative but criticized its "limited interactivity, lack of freedom, and wooden combat".[12]

B-Team was one of the launch titles for the Oculus Go standalone headset on 1 May 2018. UploadVR described it as a first-person action game in which the player switches between four characters to stop an alien invasion.[13] An updated version with six degrees of freedom controls was announced for Oculus Quest in March 2020.[14]

Defector, a spy thriller directed by Dan Bullock, was released for the Rift platform on 11 July 2019 at US$20.[15] Road to VR scored it 5.5 out of 10, finding the set pieces exciting but the shooting and interactions with characters weak.[16] Path of the Warrior, a first-person beat 'em up, was announced and released on the same day, 12 December 2019, during The Game Awards, for Oculus Quest and the Rift platform with cross-buy.[17] UploadVR's review compared it to Streets of Rage and rated it 3 out of 5.[18]

Meta ownership and closure (2021-2026)

A complaint filed by the US Federal Trade Commission on 11 August 2022, in its challenge to Meta's planned purchase of Within Unlimited, developer of Supernatural, lists the studio among Meta's VR acquisitions: "in November 2021, Meta acquired Twisted Pixel".[5] Meta named the studio publicly on 11 October 2022 during Meta Connect, saying that Twisted Pixel, Camouflaj and Armature Studio had "recently joined Oculus Studios".[6]

Under Meta, the studio developed Marvel's Deadpool VR, announced at Summer Game Fest on 6 June 2025 as a game from Twisted Pixel and Oculus Studios made in collaboration with Marvel Games. In the announcement, Meta said the team had built on the beat 'em up work of Path of the Warrior.[19] The game was released on 18 November 2025 exclusively for Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S at US$49.99, with Neil Patrick Harris voicing Deadpool.[20] OpenCritic lists a Top Critic Average of 78 for it.[21]

On 13 January 2026 UploadVR and GamesBeat reported that Meta had shut down Twisted Pixel along with Sanzaru Games and Armature Studio, as part of layoffs of more than 10 percent of the Reality Labs division.[3][22] A Meta spokesperson told Game Informer: "We said last month that we were shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables. This is part of that effort, and we plan to reinvest the savings to support the growth of wearables this year."[23] UploadVR wrote that closing the studio so soon after the launch of the US$50 exclusive suggested that Deadpool VR had not sold as well as Meta hoped, or had not driven enough new Quest headset sales.[3]

Products

The table lists the studio's VR games. Its earlier games were non-VR titles for Xbox platforms.

Title Release Platform at launch Notes
Wilson's Heart 25 April 2017 Oculus Rift with Oculus Touch Psychological thriller funded by Oculus Studios; US$39.99 at launch[11]
B-Team 1 May 2018 Oculus Go Oculus Go launch title; Quest version with 6DoF controls announced in March 2020[13][14]
Defector 11 July 2019 Rift platform Spy thriller; US$20 at launch[15]
Path of the Warrior 12 December 2019 Oculus Quest and Rift platform Beat 'em up; announced and released at The Game Awards 2019; cross-buy[17]
Marvel's Deadpool VR 18 November 2025 Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S Made with Oculus Studios and Marvel Games; US$49.99 at launch[19][20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "About". Twisted Pixel Games. https://twistedpixelgames.com/about/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Major Nelson (2011-10-12). "Microsoft Studios Acquires Indie Game Developer Twisted Pixel". Xbox Wire. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2011/10/12/welcome-twisted-pixel-to-microsoft-studios/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 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. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Brett Makedonski (2015-09-30). "Twisted Pixel is independent again, no longer owned by Microsoft". Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/twisted-pixel-is-independent-again-no-longer-owned-by-microsoft/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "In the Matter of Meta Platforms, Inc., Mark Zuckerberg, and Within Unlimited, Inc.: Complaint (Docket No. 9411, public version)". Federal Trade Commission. 2022-08-11. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/D09411MetaWithinComplaintPublic.pdf. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Games at Connect 2022: 'Marvel's Iron Man VR,' Xbox Cloud Gaming, an 'Among Us VR' Release Date, and More". Meta Quest Blog. 2022-10-11. https://www.meta.com/blog/vr-games-meta-connect-2022-marvel-iron-man/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mathew Kumar (2008-07-09). "Q&A: Twisted Pixel's Wilford On Being Swallowed By The Maw". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/q-a-twisted-pixel-s-wilford-on-being-swallowed-by-i-the-maw-i-. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Matt Helgeson (2011-09-15). "The Zen Of Twisted Pixel: An Interview With Michael Wilford". Game Informer. https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/09/15/the-zen-of-twisted-pixel.aspx. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Scott Hayden (2016-06-13). "Oculus Announces 'Wilson's Heart', a Twilight Zone-style Psychological Thriller for Touch". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/oculus-announces-wilsons-heart-a-twilight-zone-style-psychological-thriller-for-touch/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  10. ↑ Mike Rose (2011-10-12). "Microsoft Acquires Splosion Man Dev Twisted Pixel". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/microsoft-acquires-i-splosion-man-i-dev-twisted-pixel. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Joe Durbin (2017-03-27). "Wilson's Heart is Releasing on April 25 at $39.99 Exclusively for Oculus Rift with Touch". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/wilsons-heart-releasing-april-25-39-99-exclusively-rift-touch/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  12. ↑ Matt Bertz (2017-04-25). "Wilson's Heart Review: Campy Horror Crippled By Technical Shortcomings". Game Informer. https://gameinformer.com/games/wilsons_heart/b/oculusrift/archive/2017/04/25/wilsons-heart-review-game-informer.aspx. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Jamie Feltham (2018-05-01). "Oculus Go Launch Titles Include Bigscreen And A New Game From Wilson's Heart Dev". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/oculus-go-launch-titles-bigscreen-wilson/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Jamie Feltham (2020-03-18). "B-Team Is Coming To Oculus Quest Later This Month". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/b-team-oculus-quest/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Push the Limits of Reality and Reason in Action-Adventure Spy Thriller 'Defector,' Available Now on the Rift Platform". Meta Quest Blog. 2019-07-11. https://www.meta.com/blog/push-the-limits-of-reality-and-reason-in-action-adventure-spy-thriller-defector-available-now-on-the-rift-platform/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  16. ↑ Scott Hayden (2019-07-11). "'Defector' Review - Action Movie Thrills Wrapped in a Standard Arcade Shooter". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/defector-review-rift/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "'Path of the Warrior' Packs a Punch on Oculus Quest and the Rift Platform". Meta Quest Blog. 2019-12-12. https://www.meta.com/blog/path-of-the-warrior-packs-a-punch-on-oculus-quest-and-the-rift-platform/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  18. ↑ David Jagneaux (2019-12-12). "Path of the Warrior Review: Brawling In The Streets Of Rage City". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/path-of-the-warrior-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "'Marvel's Deadpool VR' Announced for Meta Quest 3 and 3S". Meta Quest Blog. 2025-06-06. https://www.meta.com/blog/marvels-deadpool-vr-meta-quest-3-announcement/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Marvel's Deadpool VR is Out Now on Meta Quest 3 and 3S". Meta Quest Blog. 2025-11-18. https://www.meta.com/blog/marvels-deadpool-vr-meta-quest-3-3s-out-now/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  21. ↑ "Marvel's Deadpool VR Reviews". OpenCritic. https://opencritic.com/game/19192/marvels-deadpool-vr. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ 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.
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