Facebook Acquires Developers Downward Interactive in Studio Acquisition

Facebook has announced that it has had its fourth VR studio acquisition. It welcomes Developers Downward Interactive, the studio behind the popular VR Shooter Onward which has been continuously developed since it was in Early Access since 2016. The game had launched on Oculus more recently and quickly become one of the most popular titles on the platform.

Facebook had announced the acquisition on the Oculus blog. They had also stated that they were eager to support Downward Interactive's CEO Dante and his team “in growing Onward as one of the foremost multiplayer VR games.” The company also promised that Onward will continue to be supported on all platforms including Steam and the entire Downward Interactive team would be joining Oculus Studio in some capacity.

Downward Interactive had been working with publisher Coatsink previously but there is currently no word on whether Coatsink was involved in the deal as the terms of the acquisition have not been announced.

We are excited to announce that Downpour Interactive is joining Oculus Studios. We know you have questions and we have built an FAQ to help answer them. For more details, including a message from our founder Dante, visit our website at https://t.co/fJCke9C8R5 pic.twitter.com/5Kub7kfpVc

— Downpour Interactive (@DownpourInt) April 30, 2021

Downward Interactive CEO Dante had made a statement on the acquisition on the official Onward website: “Today is a very exciting day for Onward and the Downpour team, we are joining Oculus Studios at Facebook! I remember when I wrote the first line of code for Onward and walked around “Cargo,” one of the first maps in-game. Putting on a VR headset and building this dream game was a magical experience every day. From those early days to now, Onward and Downpour have grown and made huge strides in the VR industry. I can’t thank my team enough for their hard work and dedication, as well as our passionate and dedicated player community.

With us joining Oculus Studios at Facebook, we can now realize Onward’s full vision with tremendous support and resources. This means a better game for all our players on all platforms. There are no changes in hierarchy or in vision, everyone at Downpour is still working hard to deliver you the best game possible. Thank you all for your continued support, and stay tuned for future updates and content.”

This marks the fourth VR studio acquisition by Facebook. They also acquired Beat Games (Beat Saber), Sanzaru Games (Asgard’s Wrath and others), Ready at Dawn (Lone Echo and others), and now Downpour Interactive, all within the last year and a half. In the same blog post announcing this acquisition, in regards to future acquisition they have stated, “We’re exploring many ways to accelerate VR, including investments in third-party content, AAA IP, hardware, and more, and we have awesome and innovative plans for the next few years of gaming.”