8th Wall Is Shutting Down: What AR Creators Need to Know

What Is Happening to 8th Wall?

8th Wall, the browser-based AR platform owned by Niantic, is shutting down completely. The platform that helped define WebAR for seven years will be fully offline by February 28, 2027.

For anyone running AR campaigns, product experiences, or brand activations built on 8th Wall, this is an urgent operational issue — not a distant concern. The shutdown timeline is already underway.

Why Is 8th Wall Shutting Down?

Niantic, which acquired 8th Wall in 2021, has shifted its strategic focus away from the WebAR platform business.

8th Wall was a developer SDK — it gave developers the tools to build WebAR experiences from scratch. But the market has moved. Brands increasingly want no-code tools, not developer SDKs. The demand is for platforms that brand teams can operate directly, without engineering resources for every update or campaign.

This is exactly the gap HOVARLAY was built to fill.

The 8th Wall Shutdown Timeline

Here’s why this matters beyond the headlines: every brand that built an AR experience on 8th Wall — product packaging, retail activations, marketing campaigns — is now sitting on a ticking clock. The QR codes already printed on physical packaging, the live campaigns driving engagement, the AR experiences tied to product launches — all of it stops working on February 28, 2027. There’s no extension, no workaround, no graceful wind-down. It simply goes dark. And for brands that haven’t started migrating yet, that deadline is closer than it looks.

Until February 28, 2026 — Full Access (Now Passed)

• Full login and project editing available
• Project and asset exports supported
• New accounts could be created

From February 28, 2026 — Edit Access Ended

• No new logins or account creation
• Editing and export disabled
• Existing hosted content still viewable

February 28, 2026 to February 28, 2027 — Hosting Only

• Users can still access live 8th Wall AR projects
• Existing campaigns continue running as-is
• No content updates or management possible

After February 28, 2027 — Complete Shutdown

• All hosted projects taken offline permanently
• Project data deleted
• All QR codes and links stop working

What This Means for Brands and Agencies

If any of your current AR experiences, product QR codes, or marketing campaigns run on 8th Wall, you have less than 12 months before they stop working entirely.

Packaging already in market — any physical packaging with a QR code pointing to an 8th Wall experience needs to be assessed immediately.

Active campaigns — any live campaign using 8th Wall AR needs a migration plan before February 2027.

Agency client work — clients need to be informed proactively. Waiting for them to discover the issue is not an option.

What You Need to Do Now

Start the migration process before your deadline pressure becomes a crisis. The earlier you move, the more control you have.

1. Audit your 8th Wall projects — list every active experience and associated QR codes
2. Export your assets — download all 3D models, videos, images, and copy
3. Prioritise by urgency — packaging in active production runs first
4. Choose a new platform — evaluate based on your use case
5. Rebuild and test — allow time for QA before switching live QR codes
6. Update QR codes — dynamic QR codes can be redirected without reprinting; static ones need reprinting
7. Communicate to stakeholders — internal teams, retail partners, and clients

HOVARLAY as an 8th Wall Alternative for CPG Packaging

HOVARLAY is a no-code WebAR platform built specifically for CPG packaging — designed for brand teams rather than engineering teams.

Where 8th Wall required developers to build experiences from scratch, HOVARLAY’s Creator gives brand teams a drag-and-drop interface to build, publish, and update WebAR experiences without writing code.

• Target user: Brand teams (vs Developers/agencies)
• Code required: No (vs Yes)
• Packaging focus: CPG specific (vs General WebAR)
• Lead generation: Built-in Campaigns (vs Not built-in)
• Analytics: HOVARLAY Insights dashboard (vs Basic)
• Pricing: Per-SKU, starts free (vs Developer subscription)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 8th Wall completely shut down now?

As of February 28, 2026, 8th Wall has ended edit access and new account creation. Existing hosted projects are still running until February 28, 2027, after which everything goes offline permanently.

Can I still export my 8th Wall projects?

Export was available until February 28, 2026. If you haven’t exported yet, that window has closed. Contact Niantic directly to check if any export options remain.

Will my QR codes still work after 8th Wall shuts down?

Your QR codes will stop working after February 28, 2027. Dynamic QR codes can be redirected to a new platform without reprinting. Static QR codes will need to be replaced.

How long does it take to rebuild an AR experience on HOVARLAY?

Simple packaging AR experiences can be built in hours. More complex campaign experiences typically take 1-3 days to build and test.

Does HOVARLAY offer migration support?

Yes. Contact HOVARLAY at hello@hovarlay.com to discuss your migration needs.

Don’t wait until your campaigns go dark. Explore HOVARLAY as your 8th Wall alternative →