Social Networking giant Facebook shuts down Creative Labs, the experimental division that developed some of the company's most innovative and uncommon mobile software. Along with the closure of Creative Labs, Facebook announced that some of the apps created by the group will be closed as well.
Creative Labs' apps like Slingshot, Riff and Rooms have been pulled from app stores. Facebook has also closed the website of Creative Labs. Slingshot, Riff and Rooms are apps that allow users to create videos with a theme and then share it.
Facebook said that some of the apps developed by Creative Labs failed to live up to its expectation, thus the decision to shut it down, according to Tech Crunch.
A Facebook spokeswoman told CNet, "Since their launches, we've incorporated elements of Slingshot, Riff and Rooms into Facebook for iOS and Android apps."
Although Slingshot and Riff were taken out of app stores, the apps can still be used by users with registered accounts. On the other hand, Rooms will be officially taken down on Dec. 23.
Many tech experts believe that the closure of Creative Labs signals Facebook's shift of strategy when it comes to mobile apps. Since the launch of Creative Labs, the Facebook app, Groups, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp have all flourished.
In the past, Facebook concentrated mainly on native features. However, the increased standalone capability of Messenger and Groups may have persuaded the company to venture on other mobile apps.
Despite the closure of Creative Labs, Facebook said that it will continue to experiment on new apps.