Toast Interactive recently shared some unexpected news: their virtual reality games, “Max Mustard” (set for release in 2024) and the well-loved “Richie’s Plank Experience” from 2017, have been taken down from the Horizon Store for Quest. The move has left the indie development team feeling “betrayed and powerless,” they revealed in a statement.
“Meta has made the unilateral decision to remove our games, Max Mustard and Richie’s Plank Experience, from their platform,” the team expressed in a heartfelt message on X. “This decision leaves us feeling let down and without control on many fronts.”
Though sometimes games get delisted by mistake, Toast Interactive suggests this isn’t the case here. They have hinted at knowing the reason behind this mysterious removal but are currently unable to share the specifics, adding a note of anticipation, “We look forward to telling our side of the story soon.”
In a Reddit update, the studio teased that the reason will be surprising to many, but they have been advised to keep things under wraps for now.
For those exploring the Horizon Store pages for Max Mustard and Richie’s Plank Experience, the listed reason is a breach of Meta’s Platform Abuse Policy. However, details on how exactly they violated this policy remain unclear.
The policy in question is broad, addressing issues from piracy and security problems to various other misuses. It also includes vaguer areas, which can be open to interpretation, and specifies that failure to adhere to Meta’s documented guidelines or general terms can lead to removal without prior notice.
Interestingly, both games remain accessible on other platforms. Max Mustard can still be enjoyed on PC VR, PSVR 2, and Pico headsets, while Richie’s Plank Experience is still up and running on PC VR, the original PSVR, and Pico devices.
This development couldn’t have come at a worse time for Toast Interactive. Just last month, the Australian studio headquartered on the Gold Coast announced they were shuttering their office and cutting down the majority of their workforce. This tough decision followed an initial round of layoffs in November 2024 that impacted ten employees. At the time, Toast Interactive commented that despite Max Mustard’s standing as a highly rated game on both PSVR 2 and Meta Quest, it wasn’t enough to support a large indie team.
As this story unfolds, we’ve reached out to Meta for further clarification and hope to update you as more information becomes available. Stay tuned.
