Facebook Shuts Down Creative Labs, iOS Apps Leave App Store

Following Dropbox’s killer post, here is one from Facebook: the social-media giant has had enough of Slingshot (a Snapchat competitor), Riff (video creation app), and Rooms (group messaging app) and is removing them from the App Store. Oh, and it is also shutting down its Creative Labs, a startup-like initiative encouraging employees to design innovative and unusual software for mobile devices.

As of today, if you look for any of the aforementioned apps, you won’t find them, and don’t look for the Creative Labs webpage, either. It was pulled as well.

Speaking with CNET, a Facebook spokeswoman confirmed all of the above and added:

“Since their launches, we’ve incorporated elements of Slingshot, Riff and Rooms into the Facebook for iOS and Android apps.”

Apparently, Slingshot, Riff, and Rooms didn’t gain enough traction to keep them live, and by the way, Facebook is now turning its attention to other areas such as AI, drones (satellites and lasers to deliver the Internet to everyone), virtual-reality goggles, and live streaming.

Slingshot has been pulled already, but it will work for those who had downloaded the app. Rooms will be shut down on December 23.