This is a bit of a weird story to highlight in a newsletter, but I’m a huge fan of a genuine apology and when grown-ups actually behave like grown-ups. There were a few great tweets this week between Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth and Oculus founder Palmer Luckey that exemplified these good manners, and they’re worth calling out.
Why is Boz apologizing?
Back in April there was a bit of a hullabaloo when John Carmack said he wished he’d done more to defend Palmer Lucky internally at Facebook (now Meta) before his 2016 ousting.
Boz joined the chat and things quickly got heated.
In a nutshell, Carmack and Luckey suggested that Luckey’s removal was due to his politics; Boz said they shouldn’t speculate, and it just sort of unravelled into a very “oops I forgot everyone can hear us in the public square” conversation from there
A lot of folks — Luckey included — felt the need to remind Boz that he wasn’t around for any of this, so he’s working entirely with second-hand information. Which brings us to…
What changed?
There’s been a public perception that there’s bad blood between Luckey and Meta, and understandably so — which is why it seemed kind of wild that he tweeted a photo of him wearing Orion on Monday.
Boz retweeted the photo, along with an incredible public mea culpa. You should absolutely give it a read. It’s all class, and takes full responsibility for commenting on something he really had no right to.
Palmer was equally gracious in acceptance, saying that “the people responsible for my ouster and internal/external smear campaign aren't even around anymore. At some point, the Ship of Theseus has sailed.”
Palmer Luckey is, in many ways, single-handedly responsible for the birth of the modern XR industry. He’s also the dude who created a real life version of the “if you die in the game, you die in real life” headset from Sword Art Online. Like most people who have a hand shaping history, he’s …complicated.
His latest business is Anduril, a defense technology company — but he recently told Tablet Magazine that he doesn’t really want to be doing that, and “would rather be making virtual reality headsets.”
I think I speak for everyone when I say we’d also rather you were doing that, Palmer.
Just not the ones that can kill us, please.
What Else Happened This Week?
FIVARS kicks off in Toronto — Running until October 8th, the FIVARS XR festival celebrates the best interactive storytelling from around the world. Now in its 10th year, you can book blocks of time and select from more than 60 experiences (including Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway!) It’s also not too far from an Uncle Tetsu cheesecake, should you enjoy delicious things. (Get tickets)
We finally get a YouTube for immersive art — The Meta-funded Theatre Elsewhere, a platform for browsing and experiencing spatial artwork, launched this week — and it’s getting rave reviews. I haven’t gone hands-on myself yet, but I’ve cleared my whole Saturday afternoon for this. It looks to be a great showcase of content that could only exist in this medium. (Mixed)
XR Games lays off all but 12 employees — Just ahead of the launch of their next game on October 17, Starship Troopers: Continuum, XR Games has laid off 72 of its 84 employees. The studio primarily focused on external IP and has developed titles based on Jurassic Park, Zombieland, and, most recently, Hitman 3. I’m crossing fingers that everyone lands on their feet. Sharing the XR Jobs Board in case it helps. (IGN)
RIP HoloLens — Microsoft announced its officially discontinuing the HoloLens 2, with no plans for a third generation. The House that Gates Built is on a bit of an XR roller coaster lately, shrinking their MR team but also deepening partnerships with Meta (heck, did anybody else notice Excel spotlighted on the Horizon Quest Store this week??) My gut still says Microsoft will finally go consumer in this space with a Horizon OS-powered Xbox headset in the next year or so. We’ll see! (GamesIndustry.biz)
Play These Games Next
You Can’t Scare Me is a make-your-own-jump-scare kit that pits three players as haunters looking to spook one hauntee and make them scream — literally! The Quest’s mic will pick it up. I love when people play with what tech offers like this. Clever, clever. (October 10 on Quest)
Metamorphosis brings its Kafka-inspired twist on “A Bug’s Life” to VR this week after seeing acclaim as an indie PC darling a few years back. This new version has been rebuilt from the ground-up for VR by new studio Black Sun Productions. Definitely one to watch! (October 10 on Quest, Steam)
Exploding Kittens VR just launched yesterday, and brings everyone’s favorite card game from the heyday of Kickstarter (remember kickstarting things??) to an immersive environment. It promises a social hub and mini-games to round things out a bit. (out now on Quest)
Thanks for reading folks! We’ll see you back here next Friday, just in time for the WILDLY PACKED fall game release schedule to start! 🎉
- Jim