Ready at Dawn, VR developer behind Lone Echo, joins Facebook
In an announcement through Oculus today, Facebook revealed that it has acquired Ready at Dawn, the developer behind the hit virtual reality game Lone Echo, as well as lesser-known titles Echo Arena and Echo Combat. Facebook praised the studio, calling Ready at Dawn a 'veteran' in the game industry. Development continues on the sequel game Lone Echo II.
Facebook has acquired multiple studios for their virtual reality work, including the company behind hit rhythm game Beat Saber. In its latest post on the Oculus blog, Facebook reveals that the Ready at Dawn team will be joining it as a company, but that it will continue to work independently on future virtual reality content.
Nearly 17 years ago, we embarked on a journey to build a game studio. Along the way, we innovated on genres, experiences, games and platforms. Today, we're excited to join the Facebook family as we open a new chapter in our story and continue to pursue our passions #WeAreRAD pic.twitter.com/KyaorRyPpn
— Ru Weerasuriya (@Ru_Weerasuriya) June 22, 2020
The studio has published numerous products on Oculus since 2017, its most notable being Lone Echo. Facebook indicates that it will make its 'latest advancements in VR technology' available to Ready at Dawn, indicating that players may see even more impressive things in the upcoming title Lone Echo II.
Facebook says that it intends to 'maintain' the culture at Ready at Dawn, something that will be aided by the studio remaining independent with continued operations out of its locations in Portland and Irvine, California. However, it will now work with the support of Oculus Studios and Facebook.
The studio will continue to focus specifically on the Oculus Quest, according to Facebook, while indicating that it has more plans for the team and the wider aspects of supporting and growing its virtual reality platforms.