Meta to shut down augmented reality studio used by third-party creators By Reuters

(Reuters) – Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: AI.

The feature, Meta Spark, will be shut down on January 14, and third-party AR effects, including computer-generated filters, masks, and studio-created 3D objects, will be removed.

The social media company said its AR effects will remain available on products like Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.

Meta has prioritized investments in AI products and the metaverse — a shared virtual environment it’s betting will be the successor to the mobile internet.

“With the decision to shut down the Meta Spark platform, we’re shifting resources to the next generation of experiences through new form factors like glasses,” the company said in a blog post.

Third-party creators expressed their disappointment with the announcement and tried to find alternatives in the Meta Spark community group on Facebook.

“I wonder how many people will migrate to Snapchat Lens Studio or Unity now that Meta Spark is in the sunset?” one user said in a Facebook post.

Smaller rival Snap offers Lens Studio, which is a free AR creation platform that allows developers to create custom AR effects.

In May, Meta said it would discontinue the work-oriented Workplace app starting in June 2026 for customers, but would continue to use it as the company’s internal message board.

The company also said Tuesday that existing roles or stories that use third-party AR effects will remain available to users, but AR effects and files from Meta Spark Studio and Meta Spark Hub will no longer be accessible.