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OpenAI is scaling back its video ambitions, winding down Sora—the high-profile video generation app it launched last year as part of a broader push into creative tools and social media.
The company confirmed on Tuesday that it will shut down the standalone app to prioritize other initiatives.
“As demand for computing resources continues to grow, the Sora research team is focusing on advancing world simulation work that can support robotics and help solve real-world physical tasks,” a spokesperson said.
OpenAI noted that maintaining products with heavy computing requirements requires difficult trade-offs. Sora, its first standalone release after ChatGPT, quickly climbed to the top of the iPhone App Store following its September debut. However, it soon faced scrutiny from copyright holders over the use of intellectual property and people’s likenesses. Critics also argued the platform fueled misinformation and low-quality AI-generated content.
In December, OpenAI had reached an agreement with Disney to allow its characters to appear in user-generated videos on Sora. But a source familiar with the situation said the deal is no longer moving forward in light of OpenAI’s shift in direction.
A Disney spokesperson told CNN that the company respects the decision and will continue exploring partnerships with AI platforms in ways that protect intellectual property and creators’ rights.
OpenAI also said it is working on options for users to export and preserve their content from the app.
The move reflects a broader strategic shift, as the company redirects resources away from consumer-facing experiments and toward enterprise-focused products. At the same time, competition is intensifying from rivals like Anthropic—known for its Claude Code tools—and Google, which has recently made significant progress in video generation technology.
