Palmer Luckey became a controversial figure leading up to the US elections after backing a pro-Trump group which even prompted a response from Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe at the time. Since then he’s been kept firmly in the background apart from turning up at the recent ZeniMax vs. Oculus court case.
Tomorrow will be Luckey’s last day at Facebook and a statement has been issued announcing his departure.
“Palmer will be dearly missed. Palmer’s legacy extends far beyond Oculus. His inventive spirit helped kickstart the modern VR revolution and helped build an industry. We’re thankful for everything he did for Oculus and VR, and we wish him all the best.”
It’s still unknown whether Luckey left on his own accord or was given a shove out the door by Facebook as they have declined to comment.
Luckey has been credited for bringing VR back into fashion after selling Oculus to Facebook for a whopping $2 billion USD. Naturally, not everyone was happy with the decision to sell to Facebook at the time, especially backers of the first development kit on Kickstarter.
Luckey’s reputation took a further dent recently during the ZeniMax vs Oculus court case in which Zenimax triumphed.
He’s proved a controversial figure in recent times and is best known for his ridiculous shirts and his preference for flip-flops. His adventure in VR is over for now but he will be satisfied with what he achieved in bringing VR back, and his bank balance will be healthier for it.
Like him or loathe him, no doubt Palmer Luckey will return to the industry at some point in the future if he still has a passion for VR.
