Rec Room is the latest VR metaverse closure but I have hopes it'll return in AR

Date:
Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:56:29 +0000

Description:
2026 gets another VR casualty as Rec Room announces shutdown, but Snap might have big AR plans for it.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Rec Room is shutting down in June The popular metaverse platform struggled to
turn its success into profit Snap is reportedly buying up some Rec Room
assets Rec Room a popular VR multiplayer platform that reached over 150 million players during its lifetime is shutting down in June as the company explains, "Our costs always ended up overwhelming the revenue we brought in." But it might live on in AR.

This follows the semi-shutdown of Metas Horizon Worlds metaverse. That title will live on in full on mobile, and will be playable in VR but the once-flagship immersive experience on Quest headsets wont receive updates or new content, as Meta shifts its focus to smartphones and glasses. For Rec
Room , a similar shift seems to be on the cards too. Article continues below You may like Meta is pulling the plug on its VR metaverse in June Meta addresses VR layoffs as it reveals new yet familiar metaverse plans Meta just killed my Meta Quest 4 hype, as it culls several VR game studios

While not much is revealed in the Schools Out for Rec Room blog post , which details the final days for the platform such as 80% discounts, the removal
of some RR+ membership exclusivity for certain items and for cashing out tokens, and the ability to download your created rooms as a standalone Unity app (only via the Steam PC build) its being reported that the teams efforts may be reborn in a form under Snap. (Image credit: Future) The Snapchat and
AR glasses-maker has reportedly acquired some Rec Room Inc. assets, including a few employees, according to Geek Wire . It hasnt been confirmed what theyll be doing, but based on my experience with Snapchats specs, I have an educated guess that these former Rec Room developers will help make Snaps AR software the virtual playground Im dreaming of. The metaverses AR future? Ive loved VR multiplayer, but having experienced AR multiplayer with Snaps Spectacles, the in-person digital experience is a cut above, even in my admittedly limited demo.

Peridot multiplayer let a group of us see and interact with each others virtual pets, we could draw and create 3D art together in the room, and while not a game per se, multi-person AR translation with floating subtitles under each speaker felt like magic. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in
your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. (Image credit: Snap) Even though the actual gameplay of
these apps wasnt mindblowing, the virtual and real blended experience was a delight and my mind was racing with what the future could hold.

With a pair of AR smart specs, you could turn a park into an AR paintball arena for you and your friends, turn your living room into a jungle
adventure, or your back garden into a tennis court the list goes on.

An AR version of Rec Room , with its blend of premade and user-generated content, could be a killer AR app. Rather than waiting for someone to make
the AR game youve been wishing for, youd have the tools to simply build it yourself.

Now, theres no promise that this is what Snap has planned, but from my conversations and demos with the team there, its clear the company has lofty AR aspirations so this kind of move wouldnt be out of the question. Well
just have to wait and see what it has up its sleeve when its glasses debut later this year. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/rec-room -is-the-latest-vr-metaverse-closure-but-i-have-hopes-itll-return-in-ar


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