Meta released a statement on Tuesday that it will shut down its Spark platform for third-party developers by 14 January of next year.

In a blog post, the company explained that its Spark AR “platform of third party tools and content” would not longer be available.

However, its AR Effects solution will continue to operate across its Family of Apps (FoA) like Horizon, Instagram, and Facebook.

The statement continued,

“We are deeply grateful to the community of creators, businesses, and other key stakeholders who have been part of the Meta Spark journey. When we first launched this platform seven years ago, experiences infused with augmented reality were new to most consumers.”

According to the Menlo Park-based company, it decided to axe the programme to “prioritize the products we believe will best serve the future needs of our consumers and business customers alike.”

Meta’s Spark AR Enterprise Push

The news comes over a year after the tech giant integrated Spark AR creative solutions across Instagram Reels, Instagram, and Facebook, where Meta launched a major push to promote enterprise AR ad solutions.

Its also launched its Spark AR Learn Hub to serve as a destination for educational resources for developing AR-based creative content on Reels.

Meta also reported that brands saw a 59 percent reduction in advertising expenses compared to traditional business-as-usual (BAU) ads.

Announced in 2017, then-Facebook rebranded its Camera Effects Augmented Reality (AR) Platform to Spark AR, ushering an age of competition among firms like Snap, TikTok, and others.

However, due to sharp increases in Reality Labs capital expenses (CAPEX), Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO, Meta, branded 2023 the “Year of Efficiency,” cutting several projects from future launches.

On Friday last week, reports also found that Meta employees leaked that its premium mixed reality headset, slated for release in 2025 to rival the embattled Apple Vision Pro, would cease development, citing expensive display costs and low demand for the rival head-mounted display (HMD).