Aug 27 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms ( META ) will shut

down the augmented reality studio that third-party creators used

for making custom Instagram and Facebook effects, the social

media giant said on Tuesday, as it prioritizes spending in other

areas including AI.

The feature, Meta Spark, will be shuttered on Jan. 14 and

third-party AR effects including computer-generated filters,

masks and 3D objects created on the studio will be removed.

The social media company said its first-party AR effects

will remain available on products including Facebook, Instagram

and Messenger.

Meta has been prioritizing investments in AI products and

metaverse - a shared virtual environment that it bets will be

the successor to mobile internet.

"With the decision to shut down the Meta Spark platform,

we're also shifting resources to the next generation of

experiences, across new form factors like glasses," the company

said in a blog.

Third-party creators expressed their disappointment about

the announcement and scrambled to find alternatives on the Meta

Spark community group on Facebook.

"I wonder how many people will migrate to Snapchat Lens

Studio or Unity now that Meta Spark is being sunset?" one user

said in a Facebook post.

Smaller rival Snap offers Lens Studio, which is a

free AR creation platform that lets developers build custom AR

effects.

In May, Meta said it would discontinue its work-focused

Workplace app starting June 2026 for customers but it would

continue to use it as the company's internal messaging board.

The company also said on Tuesday that existing reels or

stories that use third-party AR effects will remain available to

users, but AR effects and files in Meta Spark studio and Meta

Spark Hub will no longer be accessible.