Firewall studio First Contact shuts down

Developer says "lack of support for VR" was deciding factor

News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer

Published on Dec. 22, 2023

First Contact Entertainment has announced its closure.

The Los Angeles-based studio shared a statement on social media, citing a "lack of support for VR within the industry" as the main reason for closing its doors.

"As an AAA VR game developer, we are just not able to justify the expense needed going forward," the studio said. "[We] are extremely proud of the team and grateful to our investors, our partners, and of course our community of dedicated and passionate players."

In August, First Contact launched Firewall Ultra for PlayStation VR2 – a follow up to 2018's Firewall Zero Hour.

Earlier this year, it was announced the studio was working on a VR multiplayer first-person shooter titled Solaris: Offworld Combat 2, as Gematsu reported.

First Contact was founded in 2016 by a group of ex-Starbreeze developers, who GamesIndustry.biz spoke with shortly after the studio launched. It raised $5 million in an investment round soon after.