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Facebook announced on April 30, 2021 that it had acquired Downpour Interactive, the studio behind the multiplayer VR tactical shooter Onward. Financial terms were not disclosed. Downpour joined Facebook’s Oculus Studios group, and Facebook became the game’s publisher, but the announcement did not make Onward an Oculus exclusive: Facebook said it would remain available on existing platforms, including Steam. In the latest major update, announced June 17, 2025, Downpour called Update 2.0 the game’s final content update and said its team had permanently joined sister studio Camouflaj.
What Facebook acquired
The target was Downpour Interactive LLC, the developer of Onward, a squad-based first-person VR shooter built around realistic weapon handling, communication and coordinated infantry combat. Facebook placed the studio in Oculus Studios, its first-party VR-games organization, and took over publishing duties from Coatsink. The purchase price was not disclosed in the acquisition announcement.
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Facebook’s announcement and contemporary coverage described the Downpour team as continuing work on Onward and future projects. TechCrunch reported the acquisition and undisclosed terms, while Thunderful confirmed the publishing change.
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What Onward is
Onward launched in PC VR Early Access on August 29, 2016. It offers competitive multiplayer, cooperative play and single-player options, with a mil-sim approach rather than an arcade-style control scheme. The game later expanded to Oculus Quest as well as PC-connected VR.
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Its Steam listing describes SteamVR support, cross-platform multiplayer, PvP, co-op and single-player modes: official Steam listing.
Why the deal mattered to Facebook’s VR strategy
Facebook had bought Oculus VR in 2014 and was building a first-party software portfolio to make VR hardware more useful and distinctive. Earlier studio deals included Beat Games, Sanzaru Games and Ready at Dawn. The acquisition of Downpour added an established multiplayer shooter to that portfolio: a social, competitive property that could keep players returning rather than serving only as a short single-player showcase.
That strategy also gave Facebook more control over both sides of the VR ecosystem—headset distribution and software development. The 2014 Oculus announcement explains the original hardware acquisition, while a Federal Trade Commission filing describes the broader pattern of VR-studio acquisitions.
The company announced the purchase under the Facebook name. After the October 2021 corporate rebrand, the parent became Meta Platforms and Oculus consumer branding was folded largely into the Meta Quest and Reality Labs businesses.
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Did Facebook make Onward Oculus-exclusive?
No—not according to the acquisition announcement. Facebook said Onward would continue to be supported on its current platforms, including Steam. Road to VR reported that platform commitment, and UploadVR covered the team’s move into Oculus Studios.
“Cross-platform” and “cross-buy” are different. The developer’s support information says Meta Quest and Oculus PC purchases can be cross-buy under the same Meta account, but a SteamVR purchase is separate and is not included by Meta’s cross-buy system: Downpour’s support page.
Coatsink’s role—and the $20 million misunderstanding
Before the acquisition, Coatsink published Onward. On April 30, 2021, Thunderful Group, Coatsink’s parent, said Facebook would become the game’s publisher. The same announcement disclosed separate development and collaboration agreements between Coatsink and Facebook-owned companies worth more than $20 million in total.
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What happened after the acquisition?
The original promise
The 2021 deal was presented as continued support for Onward across existing platforms, with Downpour working on the game and future projects inside Oculus Studios. It did not guarantee indefinite updates, a permanent content schedule or exclusivity.
The 2025 endpoint
On June 17, 2025, Downpour announced that Update 2.0 was the final content update. The studio said Onward would remain available on current platforms, but it would receive no new content and no non-critical bug fixes. Downpour’s team permanently joined sister studio Camouflaj. The wording describes a team transfer; it does not establish that the game was removed or that the company was formally shut down. See the official developer update.
Where Onward stands now
| Question | Verified answer |
|---|---|
| Is it still available? | Yes. The developer says it remains available on current platforms. |
| Will there be new content? | No. Update 2.0 was announced as the final content update. |
| Will routine maintenance continue? | No non-critical bug fixes are promised; the official statement does not say that every critical issue will go unresolved. |
| What happened to Downpour’s team? | The team permanently joined sister studio Camouflaj. |
| Is Quest 1 supported? | No. Downpour’s support page says Quest 1 support ended July 31, 2023. |
Buying Onward in 2026
Steam
The U.S. Steam listing showed $24.99 when checked for this article; prices can change with sales and regional pricing. Steam lists PC VR, cross-platform multiplayer, PvP, co-op and single-player modes. Buy it only if you have a compatible PC-VR setup and accept that the official developer has ended planned content development: Steam store page.
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Downpour’s support page says the Meta Quest and Oculus PC versions support cross-buy when purchased under the same Meta account. That benefit does not transfer to SteamVR, which requires its own purchase. Current Meta-store pricing was not established here, so check the live listing before buying: official support information.
The bottom line on the acquisition
Facebook bought Downpour Interactive to bring a notable multiplayer VR property and its development team into Oculus Studios, gaining control of Onward’s publishing while promising continued availability beyond Oculus hardware. The deal did not make the game permanently exclusive, and it did not guarantee endless development. As of August 18, 2026, Onward remains available, but Update 2.0 is its final content release and Downpour’s former team works at Camouflaj.
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