Ready at Dawn

Ready At Dawn Studios LLC

Company type	Private
Industry	Video games
Founded	2003 (2003)
Founder	Ru Weerasuriya, Andrea Pessino, Didier Malenfant
Defunct	August 2024 (2024-08)
Fate	Dissolved by Reality Labs
Headquarters	Irvine, California , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Ru Weerasuriya (former CEO, president, chief creative officer), Paul Sams (former CEO)
Products	Video games (notably God of War: Chains of Olympus, Daxter, The Order: 1886, Lone Echo series)
Number of employees	(reduced by one-third in 2023; exact number not specified)
Parent	Oculus Studios (acquired June 2020), Meta Platforms (via Oculus Studios)

Ready At Dawn Studios LLC (RAD) was a United States-based video game developer located in Irvine, California. Established in 2003 by Ru Weerasuriya, Andrea Pessino, Didier Malenfant, alongside former staff from Naughty Dog and Blizzard Entertainment, the studio concentrated on creating games primarily for Sony platforms, including notable entries in the God of War franchise and the title Daxter. RAD later expanded by opening a satellite office in Portland, Oregon to focus on PC and console projects; however, this branch was closed in 2022 due to a transition toward hybrid work models. The company was acquired by Oculus Studios in June 2020 but was ultimately dissolved by Reality Labs in August 2024.

History

Ready At Dawn initiated its operations with the release of the 2006 PSP game Daxter. The studio went on to develop God of War: Chains of Olympus as well as a Wii adaptation of Ōkami, before discontinuing PSP development activities in 2008. Although they returned development kits to Sony at that time, they collaborated with Santa Monica Studio to produce God of War: Ghost of Sparta utilizing their own proprietary engine. In 2011, RAD delivered the God of War: Origins Collection for PlayStation 3, which included HD remasters along with enhancements such as stereoscopic 3D support.

In 2009, RAD commenced development on the Ready At Dawn Engine, a console-centric framework designed to integrate third-party tools and facilitate efficient game creation. Financial constraints led to workforce reductions of thirteen employees in 2010. By early 2012, the company sought talent for a next-generation third-person action-adventure project that was later revealed as The Order: 1886 during E3 2013.

In June 2015, Ru Weerasuriya transitioned from his role as CEO to assume the positions of president and chief creative officer. Paul Sams succeeded him as CEO to steer the company’s strategic expansion.

In April 2017, RAD formed a partnership with Tencent to enter the Chinese market, notably introducing Deformers there before its servers were shut down in August 2018. That same year, RAD launched VR titles Lone Echo and Echo Arena, both exclusive to Oculus Rift; Echo Arena was incorporated into ESL's VR esports league. November 2018 marked the release of Echo Combat, a VR first-person shooter DLC, coinciding with the establishment of their Portland satellite studio aimed at supporting new projects.

The acquisition by Oculus Studios under Meta Platforms took place in June 2020 to enhance VR content production. In January 2023, RAD announced the closure of Echo VR to concentrate resources on upcoming ventures. The studio underwent significant layoffs in April 2023, reducing its personnel by approximately one-third. Ultimately, Ready At Dawn ceased operations in August 2024 under Reality Labs’ direction.

This profile outlines RAD’s progression from a startup founded by industry veterans into a developer specializing in handheld and virtual reality gaming. Over time, its business focus shifted from exclusive Sony platform titles toward innovation in VR under Meta’s ownership before its closure.

Games developed

Game title	North American release date	Platform	Metacritic score
Daxter	March 14, 2006	PlayStation Portable	85/100
God of War: Chains of Olympus	March 4, 2008		91/100
Ōkami	April 15, 2008	Wii	90/100
God of War: Ghost of Sparta	November 2, 2010	PlayStation Portable	86/100
God of War: Origins Collection	September 13, 2011	PlayStation 3	84/100
The Order: 1886	February 20, 2015	PlayStation 4	63/100
Deformers	April 21, 2017	PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One	60/100
Lone Echo	July 20, 2017	Oculus Rift	89/100
Echo Arena	July 20, 2017	Oculus Rift, Meta Quest	87/100
Echo Combat	November 15, 2018	Oculus Rift	80/100
Lone Echo II	October 12, 2021	Oculus Rift	78/100