Polyarc, the Seattle studio behind the acclaimed VR series Moss, has closed its doors after almost 12 years in business.
Official key art for Moss. Image: Polyarc.
“After nearly 12 years riding the joyous rollercoaster of emotions that is making video games, our time together has come to an end,” the team’s statement reads. “As we wind down active development, we are saying our farewells to each other.”
- Almost 12 years
is how long Polyarc lasted, since its founding in 2015.
Warning signs since March
The closure didn’t come out of nowhere: according to the studio’s own LinkedIn data, Polyarc employed between 11 and 50 people, and had already gone through a round of layoffs back in March this year, after failing to secure funding for a since-cancelled project.
The team’s final release was Moss: The Forgotten Relic, a July launch that brought both mainline Moss games to flatscreen for the first time.
- 11 to 50 employees
was Polyarc’s team size, according to the studio’s own LinkedIn page.
“Working together over all of these years has been an honour,” the statement continues. “Bringing surprise and delight to those who played our games has been a privilege. Thank you to everyone at Polyarc, our work is now finished.”
Alongside the announcement, the team shared a reverse-recruiting spreadsheet with contact details for affected staff, urging other studios to reach out. Polyarc had announced, back in 2015 (the year it was founded), plans to develop a competitive multiplayer VR game — a project that never came to fruition. The studio’s back catalogue, including both Moss games and The Forgotten Relic, remains available to buy.
