SocialVR hub known for events featuring Reggie Watts and Bill Nye will host its farewell event on August 3rd, 7pm PDT.

In an statement delivered earlier this evening, it was announced that AltspaceVR is closing down due to “unforeseen financial difficulty” related to their upcoming round of funding falling through.

The team expressed heavy hearts at the announcement, as well as gratitude for all the memories and bonds shared in Altspace, regarded by many as a flagship VR platform.

AltspaceVR will officially close on August 3rd from 5-7pm, and the team advised all enthusiasts to make sure to meet up with friends before the shutdown. They also explained that all users’ photos and friends lists can be saved at: https://account.altvr.com/ events, by clicking “Friends” and “Photos,” respectively. Click CTRL + S on PC or CMD + S on Mac, and make sure it reads, “Webpage complete” to ensure the download.

From all of us at VRScout, we want to express a deep well of gratitude for the work everybody on the Altspace team did in growing this young community. Your impact in making VR a welcoming place—rooted in sharing in the magic of this medium—cannot be overstated.

We’re looking forward to seeing where your next steps take you.

RSVP to AltspaceVR’s final event here. For more information, please visit the Altspace blog. More in-depth information about the close can be found in this post.

The full letter is reprinted below:

It is with a tremendously heavy heart that I let you all know that we are closing down AltspaceVR on August 3rd, 7PM PDT. The company has run into unforeseen financial difficulty and we can’t afford to keep the virtual lights on anymore. This is surprising, disappointing, and frustrating for every one of us who have put our passion and our hopes into AltspaceVR. We know it will probably feel similarly for you.

You’ve made AltspaceVR one of the best places to be in VR (or on the internet). I won’t try to write down all of the memories that are flooding my heart right now of all of the laughter, puns, fun and friendliness that existed in this community. There have been spontaneous concerts, new friendships, marriages, surprise serenades (looking at you Shoo Shoo!) and too many warm hugs from Claire to count. We hosted so many firsts! And we still have the record for most people in VR at one time (were any of you there at Reggie’s first performance?). We’ve also seen so many community members come into their own and host karaoke nights, improv, movie nights and meetups for people all across the globe.

We are all humbled by what you made of this virtual oasis. Thank you for spending your time building, hosting, and making the best community we could have wished for. Please take the next week to make sure those connections live on past AltspaceVR. Because if you do, then what we built will really live on.

There have been many tears and there will probably be a few more to come. I’ve given up wiping off the mist that clouds my headset. Please join us for a final farewell party on 8/3. At the end of the party, we will be shutting down AltspaceVR.