Owlchemy Labs
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Owlchemy Labs is a virtual reality game studio, developing VR games with a large team of engineers, artists, and designers. The company focuses on accessible and interactive VR gameplay experiences.
Also known as Owlchemy Labs, Inc.
Investors · 8
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Owlchemy Labs is an XR studio founded in 2010 and based in Austin, Texas, that develops virtual reality games and experiences centered on natural, spatial interaction. The studio describes its focus as "head-and-hands" VR, emphasizing polished physics-driven interaction, humor, and accessibility features intended to widen the audience for VR content. It was acquired by Google in 2017 and continues to operate as a studio while publishing blog posts, white papers, and case studies on VR development and best practices.
The company's VR catalog includes Job Simulator, a VR launch title bundled with the HTC Vive and released for Oculus Touch and PlayStation VR; Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, made with Adult Swim Games; Vacation Simulator; Cosmonious High; and Dimensional Double Shift, a hand-tracked cooperative multiplayer game for up to four players, available on Meta Quest and Android XR and supported with recurring updates, seasonal in-game festivals, and downloadable content. Before moving into room-scale VR, Owlchemy published desktop and mobile titles including Snuggle Truck, Smuggle Truck, Jack Lumber, Dyscourse, Aaaaa! for the Awesome, and the mobile VR skydiving games Caaaaardboard! and Aaaaaculus!, spanning more than 20 desktop and mobile platforms.
Alongside game releases, the studio has shipped experimental and accessibility features such as hand-tracking and subtitles updates, and founded VR Austin, a VR-focused meetup group. Leadership is led by CEO Andrew Eiche, with a team spanning engineering, art, design, QA, production, operations, and community functions; Alex Schwartz served as CEO at the time of the company's 2016 Series A.
Founding story
Owlchemy Labs was founded in 2010 with a stated mission to build absurd and polished games, initially publishing desktop and mobile titles such as Snuggle Truck, Jack Lumber, and Dyscourse before concentrating on virtual reality.
Business model
The studio develops and publishes its own VR game titles across multiple headset platforms, extending them post-launch with updates, downloadable content, in-game festivals and cosmetics, and bundle promotions, and has collaborated with external partners such as Adult Swim Games and Farbridge Studios on licensed and spin-off products.
Revenue derives from sales of its games on VR and mobile storefronts including Steam, Meta Quest, Oculus, PlayStation VR, Android XR, and Google Play, supplemented by downloadable content, in-game purchases through Conglomni Commerce in Dimensional Double Shift, bundles and sales, and licensed merchandise such as a Youtooz JobBot plush.
Traction
Job Simulator is described as an award-winning, platinum-selling VR launch title bundled with the HTC Vive, and marked its tenth anniversary in 2025; Vacation Simulator is cited as a top-ten VR title; Caaaaardboard! is described as the top-selling mobile VR game of all time. Dimensional Double Shift has shipped repeated updates through version 1.15, DLC (Sporelando), and community features such as Vote to Kick. The about page lists roughly 80 named team members. VR Austin has over 2,000 members.
Latest developments
Recent activity centers on Dimensional Double Shift, including the Sporelando DLC on Meta Quest and Android XR, Update 1.15 and 1.14 (adding Vote to Kick), a Summer C.A.M.P. Festival with a refreshed lobby and cosmetics, and a "Dimension of Health" priority shift discussed in a developer update. In August the studio announced a collaboration with Farbridge Studios on Job Simulator: Human Relations, a 2D extension of the Job Simulator universe, and it released a first case study on the development of Dimensional Double Shift plus a white paper on hand-tracking interaction design.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
The studio positions itself as an established VR content developer, citing Job Simulator as a platinum-selling VR launch title and Sundance Official Selection, an Emmy nomination for Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, Vacation Simulator as a top-ten VR title, and Caaaaardboard! as a top-selling mobile VR game. PC Gamer described it as a VR-focused team acquired by Google.
The studio emphasizes controller-free hand tracking, physics-driven and comedic interaction design, and accessibility engineering — including dedicated accessibility staff, subtitles and hand-tracking updates — and publishes its interaction-design and accessibility findings publicly.
Technology
Owlchemy's titles are built on proprietary "Owlchemy VR" technology, described as enabling rapid simultaneous development across multiple VR platforms. The studio's engineering focus includes hand tracking without controllers, physics-based interaction, multiplayer systems built with Unity, and accessibility features such as subtitles, documented in white papers and case studies.
Go-to-market
Titles are distributed through major VR and mobile storefronts and promoted via platform sale events (Steam and Meta summer sales), bundles with other studios' games, developer update videos, community events and festivals, a company blog, and social media, alongside conference talks and published white papers.
Consumer VR players on Meta Quest, SteamVR, Oculus, PlayStation VR, and Android XR, including families and groups playing cooperative multiplayer titles, with explicit design attention to disabled players and accessibility needs.
Geography
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States; the studio speaks about VR development at events internationally and founded the VR Austin meetup community.
History
Founded in 2010 in Austin, Texas, Owlchemy Labs first released desktop and mobile games, including one of the first VR-enabled games on Steam and mobile VR titles Caaaaardboard! and Aaaaaculus!. Job Simulator debuted as a bundled game with the HTC Vive and a launch title for Oculus Touch and PlayStation VR, and was a Sundance Official Selection. In August 2016 the company announced a $5 million Series A led by Qualcomm Ventures to expand its content teams and VR technology. In 2017 Owlchemy Labs was acquired by Google, following Google's earlier acquisition of Tilt Brush maker Skillman & Hackett. Subsequent releases include Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, Vacation Simulator, Cosmonious High, and Dimensional Double Shift.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 8
launches, deals, and filingsNew downloadable content for Dimensional Double Shift launched on Meta Quest and Android XR.
The two studios announced a collaboration expanding the Job Simulator universe beyond VR into a 2D title, Job Simulator: Human Relations.
Update 1.14 introduced a community-requested Vote to Kick feature for managing disruptive behavior in multiplayer sessions, along with visual improvements.
The studio launched its first Summer C.A.M.P. Festival with a refreshed lobby, community progression event, a Camp Counselor ALICE variant, summer-themed cosmetics, and Conglomni Commerce in-game purchasing.
A limited-edition JobBot plush was made available for pre-order to mark 10 years of Job Simulator.
Owlchemy Labs was acquired by Google; the studio said it would continue building VR content for platforms including HTC Vive, Oculus Touch and PlayStation VR, and Google's VR engineering director Relja Markovic said the studio had "set a high bar" in the medium.
The VR developer announced a $5 million Series A financing led by Qualcomm Ventures, joined by HTC, The VR Fund, Colopl VR Fund, Capital Factory and other Austin technology investors, to grow content development teams and build cross-platform VR technology.
$5M source ↗
Owlchemy announced a partnership with Adult Swim to adapt the animated series Rick and Morty into virtual reality, released as Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Owlchemy Labsowlchemylabs.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Owlchemy Labs do?
- Austin-based XR studio, acquired by Google in 2017, that builds hand-tracked VR games such as Job Simulator and Cosmonious High.
- Who are Owlchemy Labs's investors?
- Owlchemy Labs's investors include Colopl Next, Qualcomm Ventures, The Venture Reality Fund, Capital Factory, Colopl VR Fund, HTC, Qualcomm.