Meta has revealed that it will separate its Horizon Worlds social and gaming service from its Quest VR headset platform and digital store. The company is now pivoting to focus almost exclusively on mobile users for this service.
This announcement comes alongside statements emphasizing Meta’s commitment to the VR developer ecosystem, countering any perceptions of a retreat from mixed reality initiatives. This shift is part of a broader strategy as Meta navigates significant financial losses in its Reality Labs division, totaling around $80 billion.
In January, the company laid off over 1,000 employees from Reality Labs, which previously employed more than 15,000. Notably, these layoffs primarily impacted teams focused on VR content creation, while those working on augmented reality projects, including future smart glasses, remained largely unaffected.
Meta’s recent changes include the removal of individual worlds from the VR store, which the company claims will enhance the platform’s ability to showcase third-party developers. The company is emphasizing a transition from first-party VR development to fostering a third-party developer ecosystem, citing that 86% of users’ time in VR headsets is spent on third-party applications.
Samantha Ryan, VP of Content at Meta Reality Labs, stated, “We’ll continue to support the third-party community through strategic partnerships and targeted investments—as we have since the beginning.” This indicates a clear shift in strategy towards collaboration with external developers.
Last year, Meta launched a mobile app for Horizon Worlds, which attracted a significant number of new users interested in its social gaming features, albeit without the VR component. The success of this mobile app appears to have influenced the decision to concentrate the entire service on mobile platforms rather than discontinuing it amidst internal project closures.
Despite these changes, Meta intends to continue designing, manufacturing, and selling VR hardware while maintaining storefronts for third-party developers. However, the company is scaling back on in-house content creation and has shifted its focus towards smart glasses and AI technologies, moving away from the ambitious vision of a fully realized metaverse.
This article was produced by NeonPulse.today using human and AI-assisted editorial processes, based on publicly available information. Content may be edited for clarity and style.
