VR 'costs us more than it makes,' but FuturLab still has an interest in the technology beyond Powerwash Simulator.
Powerwash Simulator VR will no longer be supported by FuturLab, said CEO Kirsty Rigden.
In a statement, she said the studio is unable to continuing working on the port, which released in 2023 for Meta Quest 2 and 3. Both the base port and current DLC will still be purchasable and playable, and players' saves have been designated "safe." But future DLC for the port is not in the cards.
Rigden explained VR as a platform "costs us more than it makes," and said FuturLab was at a "crossroads." She opted to move its "truly excellent and kind VR team" onto other projects or vacant roles rather than to keep backing Powerwash VR. She also insisted the studio "absolutely loves and believes in VR," but candidly stated FuturLab can't continue backing that particular title at this point in time.
"I would love to live in a world where we could support Powerwash on every platform going, [but] I will always choose job support for my team," Rigden continued. "While I know you must be so disappointed, I also know that if you were in my position, you would have made the same decision."
The VR market, like the rest of the video game industry, has been battered by economic headwinds driving layoffs and studio closures.
Last October, Mojang revealed it was dropping support for Minecraft's VR port on devices like the Oculus Rift or PlayStation VR. Throughout 2024, numerous VR developers like Archiact, XR Games, and Ready at Dawn either closed down or were preparing to lay off staff. Microsoft also discontinued production for its own mixed reality device, the Hololens 2, with no follow-up seemingly planned.
Last fall, Meta discontinued production of the Quest Pro, Quest 2, and 128 GB Quest 3 to prioritize the then-new Quest 3S. As of last week, remaining supply for the prior three headsets appears to have completely run out.
In a survey from last year, 56 percent of developers felt the VR game market was in active stagnation or decline. Of those asked, 53 percent of non-VR developers believed their studio would likely never touch the technology within the next five years.
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