First Contact Entertainment is shutting down just four months after launching a multiplayer VR shooter game exclusively for Sony’s PlayStation VR2 headset.
Firewall Ultra followed 2018’s Firewall: Zero Hour from First Contact, both made exclusively for Sony’s PlayStation-based VR headsets. First Contact also released Solaris Offworld Combat in 2021 and Sony leaked an apparent planned sequel earlier this year.
Henry Stockdale
Firewall Ultra launched with “baffling” VR design choices in August this year following Sony’s debut of PSVR 2 in February. The sudden shutdown of the studio behind the game around Christmastime caps off a devastating year for many game developers in general, but the sudden loss of a VR-focused studio so deeply tied to Sony’s PSVR 2 software pipeline gives rise to concern about the company’s long-term plan for supporting the platform.
First Contact CEO and President Hess Barber confirmed the shutdown in a post on X, saying that “after almost 8 years” the studio “will be closing” before 2024.
Im very sad to say that after almost 8 years, our beloved company First Contact Entertainment will be closing before at the end of the year. I want to thank our incredible team for all their hard work and dedication to the company and the VR industry and also our players. ThankU
— hessbarber (@hessbarber) December 21, 2023
As of this writing, Firewall Ultra is still available for sale on the PlayStation Store and there’s no details yet on any plans to wind down its online services.
