Meta to shut down Augmented Reality Studio Spark, angers creators

“This decision is part of our larger efforts to prioritize products that we believe will best serve the future needs of our consumer and business customers alike,” the company said.

Killing its AR studio could be a risk for Meta as it tries to compete with other social platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, which both offer robust tools for developers and reward programs for AR creators. Meta has also previously paid AR developers by hosting challenges and offering cash prizes for the best performing effects. Users have embraced augmented reality effects for years as a way to try on makeup or make themselves look like a potato. Brands and marketers have turned to AR effects as a way to increase engagement.

The move comes as the company has shifted its focus to artificial intelligence tools and its large language model Llama. Meta has also recently turned to other mixed experiences, including its camera glasses released in partnership with Ray-Ban.

These changes are already challenging AR content creators.

“I hate you so much Meta,” said a comment under Meta’s post announcing the changes on the Meta Spark Community Facebook page.

For many AR creators, Meta Spark is an important business tool.

Lita Heifetz, an AR creator based in Switzerland, told BI that more than half of the filters in her portfolio are built using Spark. Heifetz also works with brands to create filters.

“This situation will definitely affect the creator community, as Instagram has been a key platform for sharing AR effects, given its global reach, so creators will not only be unable to publish their work here, but also will not be able to offer Instagram AR has effects on their customers,” Zuza Sliwinska, COO of Polish AR marketing platform Lenslist, told BI.

Meanwhile, creators will turn to tools elsewhere.

“It’s going to move a lot of artists to Snap,” said Danny Marree, AR creator from the Netherlands.

“Fortunately, there are still other platforms for AR, but losing such a big player is bad news for the entire AR community,” Sliwinska said.