First Contact Entertainment, the developer of Firewall Ultra and Firewall: Zero Hour, has announced it will shut down “by the end of the year”. The shutdown follows nearly eight years of operation.
The announcement was first posted on the team’s official Facebook page. President and CEO Hess Barber later released a personal statement via Twitter. They thanked the First Contact Entertainment team, the VR industry, and the players.
Notably, the studio’s Facebook post cites “the lack of support for VR within the industry” as a factor of the shutdown.
First Contact Entertainment also stated it is “not able to justify the expense needed”, being a AAA VR game developer.
Firewall Ultra is a VR shooter that First Contact Entertainment released earlier this year. Unfortunately, it ultimately received mixed reviews from fans.
Some players were unhappy with the lack of content and technical performance. Many felt that it probably needed more time in the oven ahead of launch.
Expectations were also high after the success of Firewall: Zero Hour. That original title from 2018 is still considered a highlight for the VR genre, with creative and immersive ideas.
The developers released several new updates for Firewall Ultra after launch. This includes Patch 1.13, which only just rolled out earlier this week.
It added the game’s first seasonal operation event, Operation Bloodline, alongside a new contractor and weapon. Unfortunately, these updates weren’t enough to keep Firewall Ultra going.
The studio closure comes at a rough time of the year. But another studio closure could potentially be in store, alongside other PlayStation layoffs, according to a recent report.
Hopefully, First Contact Entertainment’s closure does not damage interest in VR gaming but encourage more support, moving forward.
For more on the latest gaming news, you can read about the new plans to shut down The Day Before’s servers early next year.
