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Phaser Lock Interactive, the studio behind Quest exclusive Primal Hunt (2023) and a host of early PC VR games, announced it’s shutting down, citing a “challenging economic climate and the current state of the gaming industry.”

Founded in 2015, the Austin, Texas-based VR studio was behind a number of PC VR games over the years, including bow-shooter Twisted Arrow (2016), and real-time strategy games Final Approach (2016) and Final Assault (2019).

In 2023, Phaser Lock released dino-hunting game Primal Hunt, which leveraged Twisted Arrow’s bow-shooting mechanics in a Turok-inspired single player adventure, released exclusively on Quest.

Although Primal Hunt garnered a solid [4.3/5] user rating on the Horizon Store, it faced challenges finding broad appeal. At the time of this writing, only 201 users have reviewed the ‘M’ rated game, which was priced at $30.

Shortly after releasing Primal Hunt on Quest, Phaser Lock pivoted from full-time VR studio to developing a multi-player version of the game for Roblox. While the free-to-play game did well on the platform, attracting over 5.4 million visits, the studio’s last update arrived in April 2024, leaving the Primal Hunt’s future in question.

Then, in June 2024, co-founder and former studio exec Michael Daubert left studio, according to LinkedIn, leaving the studio’s trajectory and its future ambitions uncertain.

Here’s the full statement, released on the studio’s website:

END OF AN ERA

With deep sadness, we announce that Phaser Lock Interactive is shutting down. Despite our relentless efforts to bring our vision to life, the challenging economic climate and the current state of the gaming industry have made it impossible for us to continue. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our loyal fans and the amazing community that has supported us through this journey. Your passion, encouragement, and belief in our work have meant the world to us. While this chapter closes, the memories we’ve created together will remain forever. Thank you for being part of our story.