Meta, the multi-billion-dollar company that once put all the eggs in the metaverse basket, is now focusing on transforming this experience for mobile platforms.
While Meta recently announced that Horizon Worlds, its signature metaverse experience, would not be available to users of its Quest line of virtual reality (VR) headsets starting March 31, the backlash made the company change its tune.
The announcement prompted negative reactions from VR users, who rejected this move, claiming that the mobile version of Horizon Worlds faced many issues and was unable to convey the metaverse’s immersive experience.
In a recent Instagram AMA, Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth revealed that the company was backpedaling on its earlier decision and maintaining access to Horizon Worlds through VR headsets. “We have decided, just today in fact, we will keep Horizon Worlds working in VR for existing games,” he stated.
Nonetheless, he also stressed that no more games were planned for the Horizon platform on VR, as they pivoted to support mobile platforms first. Bosworth’s statements are consistent with what Reality Labs VP of Content Samantha Ryan explained in February, when she declared that Worlds was going “all in on mobile,” experiencing positive momentum in the space.
The actions follow a series of layoffs that affected some VR game developers, with most of the 1,500 workers belonging to Reality Labs, Meta’s metaverse division, in January.
Reality Labs has registered huge losses since its inception in 2020, accumulating more than $80 billion in total operating losses since 2020. In over 5 years of operation, the division has not reached profitability. Bosworth himself stated that the industry has not grown as quickly as they hoped, bringing the division to its current state.
FAQ
Why did Meta reverse its decision to shut down Horizon Worlds in VR? The company opted to maintain VR access for existing games following intense user backlash over the planned March 31 closure.
Will Meta continue creating new VR games for the platform? Meta confirmed that no new VR games are planned for Horizon Worlds as the company pivots to an all-mobile strategy.
How has this strategic shift impacted Meta’s workforce? The transition follows the recent January dismissal of roughly 1,500 employees, primarily from the Reality Labs division.
What financial factors drove Meta to restructure its metaverse approach? The Reality Labs division has failed to reach profitability, accumulating over $80 billion in operating losses since 2020 due to slower-than-anticipated industry growth.
免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。
