On March 16, a press announcement from Meta stated its Horizon Worlds platform – the virtual world accessed through its Quest VR headsets – would be mobile only from June 15, 2026, and that as early as March 31, 2026, Horizon Worlds and Events will no longer be available to buy on Quest. On the same day Meta Credits, Digital Clothing, Avatars and In-World Purchases will be removed from user subscriptions.
The move was explained as being part of Meta’s decision to separate Horizons from its wider work in virtual reality (VR), but has been interpreted as “the end of the metaverse”.
The company’s initial statement explained: “We are separating the two platforms so each can grow with greater focus, and the Horizon Worlds platform will become a mobile-only experience. This separation will extend across our ecosystem, including our mobile app. To support this vision, we are making the following changes to streamline your Quest experience throughout 2026.”
However, Meta soon backtracked, reportedly due to the reaction from fans.
In an interview on Instagram on Wednesday, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth confirmed “existing VR worlds” would remain live and it would not be sunsetting the Horizon Worlds VR app. No new games will be released, and no support will be available, but Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said the company had decided that “existing VR worlds” would remain available and that the Horizon Worlds VR app will be available to download “for the foreseeable future.”
What does Meta’s announcement mean for the “metaverse”
The “metaverse” was unveiled at Connect 2021, the annual conference of what was then known as Facebook Inc, and the event at which arguably the world’s most recognizable company changed its name to Meta.
At the time, the metaverse was billed as the future of everything, from gaming to education, and work. Capturing the world’s attention the year after millions of people had spent months in lockdown with little but the internet to entertain them, the hype was contagious. However, while many embraced the hype – and millions of dollars was invested in and spent on VR, whether in the official metaverse or elsewhere – Meta’s ambition, and the concept more generally, were both met with skepticism. It was also expensive to join. Even without paying $450,000 to “live” next door to “Snoop Dog”, users still had to buy a VR headset, the price of which increased in price by $100 over the course of 2022.
CX and the metaverse
In its simplest CX form, the metaverse was another string in the omnichannel bow.
Many brands jumped on the bandwagon, from Nike to Printemps, via sports teams, luxury fashion houses, and music experiences. Some created their own VR experiences, some partnered with established platforms, such as those developed by Meta, Epic Games, or Roblox.
Only a couple of years ago, Gartner was predicting that by this year, as many as 25 percent of people would be spending at least one hour a day in the metaverse for work, education, socializing, entertainment or shopping. Futurists said metaverse technology would be at the heart of the highly anticipated Web 3 revolution.
Whatever happens to Meta’s own VR platforms from here is somewhat irrelevant. While Roblox and other gaming platforms were already in the VR game, Meta’s metaverse brought VR into the mainstream and along with it, heightened customer expectations for immersive experiences, albeit in fewer scenarios than Big Tech envisioned.
Augmented reality (AR) is still very much on the cards and Meta’s interests in this have not diminished. Meta’s partnership with Ray-Ban parent company EssilorLuxottica may have seen investors create a share-price surge back in October, but again, competitors exist and with the consumer expectation now set, the market is anybody’s to take.
How much did Meta spend on the metaverse?
Meta’s ambitions were bold – and the company did not hold back when it came to putting its money where its mouth was. From the Reality Labs division, which was dedicated to the metaverse and recently saw layoffs and budget cuts, to the hardware development and roll out, Meta spent $77 billion dollars on its vision of a VR future.
A scathing analysis from economist Dean Baker this week read: “The flip side to this story is that when companies make stupid investment decisions, as it seems Zuckerberg did with the $77 billion he threw into Meta, it is not just a loss on their books, but also a cost to society.”
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