AltspaceVR was acquired by Microsoft in 2017 and has now planned to shut it down. It was an international community of users and a social place where people in their respective 3D avatars could hang out with their friends and colleagues.
Microsoft now wants to focus on Microsoft Mesh, a mixed-reality platform.
AltspaceVR mentioned on its website that they aim to take VR beyond more than the consumer into a business proposition to a more open, accessible, and secure version of a captivating experience in the metaverse. To achieve that they are closing the AltspaceVR on 10th March 2023. The company will now focus on an alluring experience in Microsoft Mesh.
Before “Metaverse” virtual social spaces were built by AltspaceVR and were a household name where several companies wanted to be present.
Recently, there has been a massive lay-off in the technology domain that has affected employees all over the globe in companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta among others.
Microsoft had impacted around 10,000 of its employees by cutting 5% of its workforce.
It is unclear whether the technology company is putting a hold of some of its metaverse plans or if AltspaceVR is just a part of company-wide layoffs.