Meta reduces investment in the metaverse, terminates the Quest platform's Horizon Worlds project

Meta announced that starting June 15, users will no longer be able to build, publish, or update virtual reality worlds on Meta Quest headsets, nor will they be able to access Meta Horizon Worlds through Quest headsets. This virtual world feature will continue to be available on the Meta Horizon mobile app.

A Meta spokesperson cited a blog post from February of this year, which mentioned that the company is shifting the focus of Worlds to "almost entirely mobile-centric." Earlier in January of this year, Meta had cut about 1,000 jobs from the Reality Labs division and closed several virtual reality game and content studios. Andrew Bosworth, head of Reality Labs and Chief Technology Officer, stated in a memo to employees that Meta will primarily focus on mobile experiences rather than immersive virtual worlds accessed through headsets.

This move marks Meta's further retreat from the metaverse strategy previously championed by Mark Zuckerberg. Resources in Reality Labs have shifted from VR gaming to advancing wearable products aimed at AI goals, including Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.