Game News

Moss developer Polyarc shuts down after 12 years: 'our work is now finished'

Polyarc, the Seattle studio behind the Moss virtual reality platformers, is shutting down after nearly 12 years, it announced on LinkedIn. PC Gamer reported on 12 September that about 30 developers were affected, and that the studio shared a spreadsheet of their contacts to help them find work.

“Today is the end of an era for Polyarc.” — Polyarc on LinkedIn, via Game Developer

PC Gamer set out the reasons: Polyarc lost funding for a project in the middle of development in 2025, failed to land a publisher deal it called a “hail mary”, and laid off about two-thirds of its staff earlier in 2026. Its last release, Moss: The Forgotten Relic, a non-VR version of the first two games launched about three months earlier, was well received but did not sell enough to keep the studio open.

Game Developer said it was unclear how many people lost their jobs, noting that the studio's tracker listed almost 30 people, which might include earlier layoffs. It said Polyarc had cut staff heavily in March because of financing problems. Game Informer also reported the closure.

How each outlet framed it

• PC Gamer — the history, from the 2018 PSVR original to a spinoff that found little audience.
• Game Developer — the studio's own words, and caution over the job numbers.
• Game Informer — the end of a well-loved VR series.

What we don't know yet: Polyarc did not say what happens to the Moss series itself.