Company:Sanzaru Games
 | |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Successor | Sneaky Devil Studios |
| Founded | November 9, 2006[1] |
| Defunct | January 13, 2026 |
| Headquarters | Foster City, California, U.S.[2] |
Number of locations | 3 studios (2018) |
Key people | Glen Egan (CEO) Bill Spence (COO) |
| Products | Software:Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time Sonic Boom Asgard's Wrath |
| Owner | Meta Platforms |
Number of employees | 60 (2010)[3] |
| Parent | Oculus Studios |
| Website | sanzaru.com |
Sanzaru Games, Inc. was an American video game developer founded in 2006 by former Activision developers and based in Foster City, California. The company name was based on the three wise monkeys, called sanzaru (三猿) in Japanese. Additionally, the company also had an office in Dublin, California and operated a satellite studio in Ottawa, Ontario, called Kitazaru.
In February 2020, Sanzaru was acquired by Facebook (now Meta) and placed in its Reality Labs division under Oculus Studios. On January 13, 2026, it was reported that Meta had closed the studio.[4] Former developers later went on to form a new studio, Sneaky Devil Studios.
History
Founding
Sanzaru Games was founded on November 9, 2006 by a group of seven former Activision developers, mostly from Z-Axis (including Sanzaru CEO Glen Egan), and began operations in January 2007. Their first game was Ninja Reflex, released on March 1, 2008, for PC, Nintendo DS and Wii. In addition to the founders, Sanzaru was staffed by other former Z-Axis employees.[5] Their second game was a port of the High Impact Games developed PlayStation Portable game Secret Agent Clank, released on May 26, 2009, for PlayStation 2. Their third game was a high definition remastered collection of the Sly Cooper games originally developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the PlayStation 2, titled The Sly Collection and released on November 9, 2010, for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. Their fourth game was Software:Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident, which they assisted in development with Big Fish Games on, and released on June 27, 2011, for Wii. Their fifth game is Software:Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, which was set to be released late 2012, but was delayed to February 2013. Their latest game was revealed as a remake of Software:Spyro: Year of the Dragon, which was included in the Spyro Reignited trilogy.
On October 10, 2019, the company released Asgard's Wrath, a VR action adventure title on the Oculus Rift.
Acquisition by Facebook and closure (2020–2026)
On February 25, 2020, the company was acquired by Facebook as part of its Oculus Studios.[6]
On January 13, 2026, Sanzaru Games, along with sibling Oculus studios Armature Studio and Twisted Pixel Games, were shut down as part of layoffs at Reality Labs, which includes Oculus Studios.[7]
Sneaky Devil Studios
On May 11, less than four months after Sanzaru's closure, former developer Mat Kraemer announced the formation of Sneaky Devil Studios, with other former Sanzaru staff.[8]
Games
| Game title | Release date | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Ninja Reflex | 2008 | Wii, Nintendo DS, PC |
| Secret Agent Clank | 2009 | PlayStation 2 |
| Software:Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident | 2010 | Wii |
| The Sly Collection | PlayStation 3 | |
| Software:Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time | 2013 | PS3, PlayStation Vita |
| Dark Manor[9] | iOS | |
| Bentley's Hackpack[10] | PS3, PS Vita, Android, iOS | |
| God of War Collection | 2014 | PS Vita |
| The Sly Collection | ||
| Software:Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal[11] | Nintendo 3DS | |
| Software:Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice[12] | 2016 | |
| Ripcoil | Oculus Rift | |
| VR Sports Challenge[13] | ||
| Tron RUN/r[14] | PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |
| Marvel Powers United VR | 2018 | Oculus Rift |
| Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Year of the Dragon) | PS4, Xbox One | |
| 2019 | PC, Nintendo Switch | |
| Asgard's Wrath | Oculus Rift | |
| Asgard's Wrath 2 | 2023 | Meta Quest 3 |
References
- ↑ "about us". Sanzaru Games. http://www.sanzaru.com/wp/about-us/.
- ↑ "Sanzaru Games Inc.". Gamasutra. Think Services. http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobseekerx/ViewCompanyProfile.asp?CompanyProfileID=3046.
- ↑ "Sanzaru Hits 60!". Sanzaru Games. November 16, 2010. http://www.sanzaru.com/wp/blog/.
- ↑ Scullion, Chris (2026-01-13). "Meta has closed several studios, including ‘Splosion Man studio Twisted Pixel and Asgard Wrath’s Sanzaru Games" (in en-US). https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/meta-has-closed-several-studios-including-splosion-man-studio-twisted-pixel-and-asgard-wraths-sanzaru-games/.
- ↑ "Q&A: Sanzaru's Egan On Fun With Ninja Reflex, Wii Development" (in en). https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/q-a-sanzaru-s-egan-on-fun-with-i-ninja-reflex-i-wii-development.
- ↑ "Facebook acquires Sanzaru Games". February 25, 2020. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-02-25-facebook-acquires-sanzaru-games.
- ↑ Scullion, Chris (2026-01-13). "Meta has closed several studios, including ‘Splosion Man studio Twisted Pixel and Asgard Wrath’s Sanzaru Games" (in en-US). https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/meta-has-closed-several-studios-including-splosion-man-studio-twisted-pixel-and-asgard-wraths-sanzaru-games/.
- ↑ "New Studio Formed by Ex-Sanzaru Developers After Meta Closure" (in en). 2026-05-11. https://80.lv/articles/new-studio-formed-by-ex-sanzaru-developers-after-meta-closure.
- ↑ ""Dark Manor" goes World Wide". Sanzaru Games. July 6, 2013. http://www.sanzaru.com/wp/2013/07/dark-manor-goes-world-wide/.
- ↑ "Bentley's Hackpack arrives on iOS and Android!!". Sanzaru Games. January 16, 2014. http://www.sanzaru.com/wp/2014/01/bentleys-hackpack-arrives-on-ios-and-android/.
- ↑ "SEGA Launches New Franchise Strategy for Sonic the Hedgehog with Sonic Boom". SEGA Blog. February 6, 2014. http://blogs.sega.com/2014/02/06/sega-launches-new-franchise-strategy-for-sonic-the-hedgehog-with-sonic-boom/.
- ↑ "Announcing Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice!". SEGA Blog. June 9, 2015. http://blogs.sega.com/2015/06/09/announcing-sonic-boom-fire-ice-2/.
- ↑ "Oculus unveils batch of new games designed for Rift VR headset". Polygon. June 11, 2015. http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/11/8767053/oculus-rift-vr-games-lineup.
- ↑ "What little you can play of TRON Run/r is kind of cool". PC Gamer. December 10, 2015. http://www.pcgamer.com/what-little-you-can-play-of-tron-runr-is-kind-of-cool/.
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