Cire Games is a new developer that’s receiving funding from Meta’s Oculus Publishing Ignition program.
First reported by Gamedeveloper.com, Ex-Arkane Austin VR Lead and Lead Art Outsource Manager Eric Beyhl has opened a new studio called Cire Games. It’s receiving funding from Meta’s Oculus Publishing Ignition program, and Beyhl announced the news via a LinkedIn post.
It took a lot of hard work, time, and sacrificing of sleep – but I am excited to finally reveal that I was one of the very few startup studios awarded the Ignition prize from Meta/Oculus Publishing! Ignition was designed to help bootstrap young startups formed in the midst of the game industry’s ongoing mass layoffs, and the timing could not have been better!
Arkane Austin was one of several studios closed by Microsoft last year, with other teams like Tango Gamesworks and Alpha Dog Studios also being dissolved by the tech titan. Beyhl’s previous credits include the immersive sim shooter Prey, and its follow-up DLC Mooncrash and Typhon Hunter. While initial funding is arriving via Meta, Beyhl also explained in the announcement post that Cire Games is “not limited to VR exclusively.”
Alongside thanking Meta’s Director of Games, Chris Pruett, Beyhl also noted that he was working with “former colleagues, familiar external partners, and a few new faces” to work on the upcoming project.
The Oculus Publishing Ignition program was announced at GDC 2024 with the intention of funding around 20 teams to rapidly build prototypes for Quest 3, with other funded examples including Table Troopers. While any team can apply via the online submission, Meta explained it’s looking for games that are “more mainstream than niche and broad in scope with compelling Quest 3 interaction mechanics”.
