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Zen Studios

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Zen Studios
Information
Industry Video games
Founded 2003
Founder Zsolt Kigyossy (co-founder)
Headquarters Budapest, Hungary
Notable Personnel Zsolt Kigyossy (co-founder; managing director as of 2020)
Products Pinball FX2 VR, CastleStorm VR, Infinite Minigolf, Star Wars Pinball VR, Pinball FX VR
Parent THQ Nordic (Embracer Group)
Website https://zenstudios.com


Zen Studios (legal name ZEN Stúdió Kft.) is a Hungarian video game developer and publisher based in Budapest, known for the Pinball FX and Zen Pinball series of digital pinball games. It was founded in 2003 by four developers as a work-for-hire technology company and released its first pinball game in 2007.[1][2] Embracer Group bought the company through its subsidiary Saber Interactive in a deal announced in November 2020, and in October 2025 Zen Studios became one of THQ Nordic's development studios within the group.[1][3]

Zen Studios has made virtual reality games since 2016. Pinball FX2 VR was a launch title for the Oculus Rift and later came to HTC Vive and PlayStation VR.[4] Its other VR releases include CastleStorm VR, Infinite Minigolf, Star Wars Pinball VR and Pinball FX VR for Meta Quest headsets, and in 2017 it announced its first title as a publisher of another studio's game, the PlayStation VR version of Out of Ammo.[5][6]

Reviewed 13 October 2026. Founding, ownership (Embracer/Saber 2020, 2023 layoffs, THQ Nordic 2025), VR game release dates, platforms, prices, table counts and review quotes checked against the cited Embracer, Zen Studios, Steam, Road to VR, UploadVR and press sources. About review dates.

History

Founding and pinball games

According to Embracer Group's 2020 acquisition announcement, Zen Studios was founded in 2003 as a work-for-hire technology company by four developers, released its first pinball game in 2007, and is known for the Pinball FX and Zen Pinball franchises. Its other games named in the announcement were CastleStorm (2013), CastleStorm II (June 2020), KickBeat and the role-playing game Operencia: The Stolen Sun (2018).[1] Pinball FX2 first launched on Xbox 360 in 2010.[4] The studio's own site says it has worked with brands including Star Wars, Marvel, Ghostbusters, DOOM, Telltale's The Walking Dead and Portal.[2] In a 2025 press release Zen Studios stated that Zen Pinball had passed 10 million downloads and Pinball FX 2 million players.[7]

VR development (2016-2021)

Pinball FX2 VR was released on the Oculus Rift on 28 March 2016 as one of the headset's launch titles. After its period of exclusivity with Oculus ended, it was released on SteamVR (HTC Vive and OSVR HDK) and PlayStation VR on 29 November 2016, together with a Season 1 pack of five extra tables and a table based on Telltale's The Walking Dead.[4] The game is now sold on Steam as Pinball FX Classic VR, a VR-only title with a 29 November 2016 release date.[8]

In June 2016 Zen Studios announced CastleStorm VR, a version of its 2D castle-combat strategy game reworked for VR, for the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.[9] Before launch, Gaming Nexus reported a 7 July 2016 release through the Oculus Store at 24.99 US dollars on Rift and 14.99 US dollars on Gear VR, while Road to VR gave the date as 16 July.[10][9]

Infinite Minigolf, a minigolf game with user-created courses, entered Steam Early Access before its full release. When it was announced for consoles in April 2017, UploadVR reported that the PS4 and PC versions would support PlayStation VR and HTC Vive.[11] It was released on 25 July 2017 for PlayStation 4 (with PlayStation VR support), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Steam, where it supported the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Courses shared on one platform could be played on the others.[12][13]

In November 2017 Zen Studios moved into publishing other studios' games on console. Its first title was Out of Ammo, a strategy and first-person shooter hybrid that RocketWerkz, the company founded by DayZ creator Dean Hall, had released on PC VR. Mel Kirk, Zen's vice president of publishing, said the company was "very selective about the titles that we'll bring from PC to console".[5][14][15] Pre-orders included a free copy of CastleStorm VR, and the PlayStation VR version went on sale on 30 January 2018.[15][14]

In October 2018 Perp Games released the Zen Studios VR Collection, a boxed PlayStation VR bundle of Out of Ammo, CastleStorm Virtual Reality, Infinite Minigolf VR and Pinball FX2 VR, at European retailers, with a North American date to follow. The Pinball FX2 VR Season 1 pack was added at no extra cost, raising the number of tables from three to eight.[16]

Star Wars Pinball VR, made with Disney and Lucasfilm Games, was released on SteamVR, Oculus Quest, Quest 2 and PlayStation VR on 29 April 2021.[17][18] It launched with eight tables, two of them new (The Mandalorian and Classic Collectibles) and six from the earlier Star Wars Pinball, set in a customizable "fan cave" with life-size characters and vehicles placed beside the table.[17][19] As of October 2026 the Steam version sold for 24.99 US dollars.[19]

Embracer ownership

On 18 November 2020 Embracer Group announced that Saber Interactive had agreed to buy all shares in ZEN Stúdió Kft. The price was not disclosed. Payment was a mix of cash and Embracer B shares, plus an earnout tied to financial targets through 2025. At the time the studio had 65 developers, and co-founder and managing director Zsolt Kigyossy was quoted in the announcement. Embracer said Zen would continue as an independent studio under Saber.[1]

In October 2023, during Embracer's group-wide restructuring, PC Games Insider reported that 32 staff had been laid off at Zen Studios, citing the tracker Video Game Layoffs.[20] When Embracer sold Saber to Beacon Interactive in March 2024, Zen was left out of the sale. Saber kept an option to buy Zen later, but in September 2024 Embracer said it would keep the studio. On 7 October 2025 THQ Nordic announced that Zen Studios had become one of its development studios.[3]

Pinball FX VR (2025 to present)

Zen Studios announced Pinball FX VR in February 2025. Compared with the 2023 flatscreen Pinball FX, it adds a new environment, a mission-based campaign with unlockable rewards, darts and other mini-games, online leaderboards, and a mixed reality mode that places virtual tables in the player's room.[21] It was released on 3 April 2025 for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S and Meta Quest Pro. The 9.99 US dollar base game has three Zen tables (Sky Pirates: Treasures of the Clouds, Pinball Noir and Curse of the Mummy), and other tables are sold separately. Zen said these included the first Williams tables playable in VR, such as Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure and The Addams Family.[6][7]

The studio kept adding tables. On 9 July 2026 it released Goat Simulator Pinball, The Princess Bride Pinball and Pacific Rim Pinball for the game, and split the game's VR arcade into two levels connected by an elevator, one for Williams tables and one for all other tables. Each new table was sold separately for 7.99 US dollars.[22][23] On 3 September 2026 Zen announced a version for Valve's Steam Frame. It is to cost 9.99 US dollars with the same three base tables, and all 42 tables then available on Meta Quest were planned for launch. Purchases cannot be transferred from Quest, and the mixed reality mode will not be available at launch.[24] As of 13 October 2026 the Steam store page listed the game as "Coming soon", VR-only and for Steam Frame hardware only.[25]

Products

VR games developed

Title First VR release VR platforms Notes
Pinball FX2 VR 28 March 2016 Oculus Rift; HTC Vive (SteamVR) and PlayStation VR from 29 November 2016 Rift launch title; sold on Steam as Pinball FX Classic VR[4][8]
CastleStorm VR July 2016 Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR; later PlayStation VR VR version of CastleStorm; PlayStation VR edition sold in the 2018 Zen Studios VR Collection[10][16]
Infinite Minigolf 25 July 2017 PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift Also playable without VR; cross-platform course sharing[12]
Star Wars Pinball VR 29 April 2021 SteamVR, Oculus Quest, Quest 2, PlayStation VR Eight tables at launch[17]
Pinball FX VR 3 April 2025 Meta Quest 2, 3, 3S and Pro; Steam Frame version announced September 2026 Mixed reality mode on Quest; Williams tables[6][24]

VR games published

Title Developer Release Notes
Out of Ammo (PlayStation VR) RocketWerkz 30 January 2018 Zen's first title as a publisher of another studio's game[5][14]

Reception

Reviewing Pinball FX2 VR on the HTC Vive, Road to VR liked how the VR version let players walk around a table and lean in to look at it. It criticized the small selection of tables (nine, including the Season 1 pack and The Walking Dead, against more than 70 in the non-VR game) and found that holding 90 frames per second at high settings needed a top-end GPU. The reviewer also reported neck strain after about half an hour of play, which he attributed to the front-heavy headset.[4] In a March 2021 preview, Road to VR's Scott Hayden wrote that Star Wars Pinball VR could become "the best VR pinball game to date".[18] UploadVR's launch-day review called it "one of VR's best pinball games" and "easily the best VR pinball game around".[26]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Embracer Group acquires Zen Studios". Cision. Embracer Group AB. 2020-11-18. https://news.cision.com/embracer-group-ab/r/embracer-group-acquires-zen-studios,c3239046. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "About". Zen Studios. https://zenstudios.com/about/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Marcel Kleffmann (2025-10-07). "Zen Studios Now Part of THQ Nordic". GamesMarket. https://www.gamesmarket.global/zen-mode-zen-studios-now-part-of-thq-nordic-8c7746e89384da6d3cae7805fc8b701e/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Dominic Brennan (2016-11-28). "'Pinball FX2 VR' Review". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/pinball-fx2-vr-review-htc-vive-playstation-vr-psvr-oculus-rift-walking-dead-dlc/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Tuffcub (2017-11-08). "Out Of Ammo Lands On PlayStation VR Next Year". TheSixthAxis. https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2017/11/08/out-of-ammo-lands-on-playstation-vr-next-year/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Now available: Play Pinball FX VR". Zen Studios. 2025-04-03. https://zenstudios.com/news/now-available-play-pinball-fx-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Zen Studios' Pinball FX VR Launches on Meta Quest Today". Uber Strategist. Zen Studios. 2025-04-03. https://www.uberstrategist.com/press-releases/zen-studios-pinball-fx-vr-launches-on-meta-quest-today. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Pinball FX Classic VR on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/547590/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Paul James (2016-06-15). "CastleStorm VR Announced for Oculus Rift and Gear VR, New Trailer Here". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/?p=165051. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "E3 2016: CastleStorm gets a refresh thanks to VR". Gaming Nexus. 2016-06-14. https://www.gamingnexus.com/News/37925/E3-2016-CastleStorm-gets-a-refresh-thanks-to-VR. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  11. ↑ Jamie Feltham (2017-04-24). "Infinite Minigolf Is A New PSVR And Vive Game From Zen Studios". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/infinite-minigolf-new-psvr-vive-game-zen-studios. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Mark Smith (2017-07-18). "Infinite Minigolf Releasing on July 25, 2017". Game Chronicles. https://gamechronicles.com/infinite-minigolf-releasing-on-july-25-2017. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  13. ↑ "Infinite Minigolf on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/446550/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Sean Anthony (2018-01-30). "Hybrid FPS and strategic builder VR game Out of Ammo now available for PlayStation VR". Gaming Trend. https://gamingtrend.com/news/hybrid-fps-and-strategic-builder-vr-game-out-of-ammo-now-available-for-playstation-vr. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Akos Gyorkei (2017-11-06). "Out of Ammo Blends Strategy and FPS Gameplay on PS VR". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/?p=196058. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Zen Studios VR Collection Gets Additional DLC Free of Charge Out of the Box". All Your Base Online. 2018-10-19. https://aybonline.com/zen-studios-vr-collection-gets-additional-dlc-free-of-charge-out-of-the-box/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Star Wars Pinball VR arrives on April 29!". Zen Studios. 2021-02-25. https://zenstudios.com/news/star-wars-pinball-vr-arrives-on-april-29/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Scott Hayden (2021-03-25). "'Star Wars Pinball VR' Preview - Possibly VR's Best Pinball Game to Date". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/?p=170330. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Star Wars Pinball VR on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1530770/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  20. ↑ Alex Forbes-Calvin (2023-10-19). "Report: 32 staff laid off at Embracer's Zen Studios". PC Games Insider. https://www.pcgamesinsider.biz/news/74083/32-staff-laid-off-at-embracers-zen-studios/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  21. ↑ Henry Stockdale (2025-02-20). "Pinball FX VR Brings The Arcade Pastime Back To Quest This April". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/pinball-fx-vr-announcement/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  22. ↑ "Pinball FX VR - 3 New Tables and a Brand-New VR Arcade Level have Arrived!". Zen Studios. 2026-07-09. https://zenstudios.com/news/pinball-fx-vr-3-new-tables-and-a-brand-new-vr-arcade-level-have-arrived/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  23. ↑ "Pinball Bites - Season 4 Episode 3 - VR Announcements!". Zen Studios. 2026-07-02. https://zenstudios.com/news/pinball-bites-season-4-episode-3-vr-announcements/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Pinball FX VR is coming to Steam Frame!". Zen Studios. 2026-09-03. https://zenstudios.com/news/pinball-fx-vr-is-coming-to-steam-frame/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  25. ↑ "Pinball FX VR on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/4738360/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  26. ↑ Joshua Broadwell (2021-04-29). "Star Wars Pinball VR Review: Making the Bump(er) to Hyper Space". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/star-wars-pinball-vr-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
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