Seattle-based game studio Polyarc, best known for its award-winning VR series Moss, has ceased operations after nearly 12 years in business. The closure was announced via a statement on the studio's official LinkedIn account.
"After nearly 12 years riding the joyous rollercoaster of emotions that is making video games, our time together has come to an end," the studio shared. "As we wind down active development, we are saying our farewells to each other." The statement expressed gratitude to Polyarc's team and players, emphasizing the privilege of bringing surprise and delight through their games.
Polyarc's final release was Moss: The Forgotten Relic, which launched in July and notably brought both mainline Moss games to flatscreen platforms for the first time. The studio's back catalog, including the original Moss titles and The Forgotten Relic, remains available for purchase.
The closure marks another significant loss for the virtual reality development sector. This year has seen substantial cutbacks and studio closures within the VR space. Meta previously laid off approximately 1,500 employees from its Reality Labs division and shut down three internal studios: Armature, Sanzaru, and Twisted Pixel, while drastically reducing the size of Camouflaj. These actions followed earlier cuts in 2025 and a strategic shift away from commercial Quest headsets towards AI and smart glasses. Additionally, VR developer nDreams experienced layoffs of 78 staff and closed two studios in March.
Polyarc, which employed between 11 and 50 individuals according to its LinkedIn data, had previously undergone a round of layoffs in March following the failure to secure funding for a project that has since been canceled. Despite these challenges, the studio had ambitious plans in recent years, including a desire to develop a VR competitive multiplayer game since its inception in 2015.
The studio has provided a reverse recruiting spreadsheet with contact details for its affected staff, encouraging other studios to reach out for potential hiring opportunities.