Meta has officially announced the closure of its Horizon Worlds VR virtual reality service.

Meta Shakes Up Horizon Worlds: Shifting Focus from VR to Mobile to Rival Roblox

In a surprising strategic pivot, Meta has announced a major transformation for its virtual world platform, Horizon Worlds. Following last month’s initiative to broaden its reach to smartphones, the company has begun a phased withdrawal of its VR-first approach, signaling a new era where Horizon Worlds aims to compete directly with mobile giants like Roblox.

The Phase-Out Timeline

The transition is set to occur over the coming months:

• March 31, 2026: Horizon Worlds will be officially removed from the Meta Quest Store.

• June 15, 2026: VR services will be fully decommissioned. All existing user data and assets will be migrated to the mobile-optimized version of the platform.

Regarding Hyperscape Capture the feature allowing Quest users to share recorded spaces Meta confirmed that users will still be able to access their archived data, though recording and sharing new captures will be disabled.

The "CTO Intervention" Amid Backlash

The announcement sparked immediate backlash from the dedicated VR community. In response, Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth clarified that while the focus has shifted, current VR games and experiences within Horizon Worlds will remain accessible "for the time being." However, he noted that no further updates or new features will be developed for the VR version as the company prioritizes its mobile-first trajectory.

The number of active users for Roblox and Fortnite on smartphones far surpasses Horizon Worlds on VR. Meta's decision to disable VR to focus resources on mobile demonstrates an acknowledgment that "accessibility" is more important than "immersion" in building a user base of billions.

The trend in social media is shifting from heavy 3D VR headsets to "2.5D socializing," where users control avatars in virtual spaces using smartphones. Switching to a mobile-only platform will allow Meta to seamlessly integrate Horizon's features with Instagram and Facebook, such as allowing users to instantly jump into the virtual world from their feed.

Developing a virtual world that runs simultaneously on both resource-intensive VR headsets and mobile devices creates an enormous workload for developers (optimization). Removing VR will allow the team to upgrade graphics and physics to meet modern smartphone standards more quickly. Without worrying about resource consumption on older Quest headsets,

even though Andrew Bosworth says it's still accessible in VR, the experience gap between VR headset users and mobile phone users is a major problem. If Meta cannot enable both groups to interact equally, pivoting is a painful but necessary solution.

 

Google Stitch Now Supports Figma and DESIGN.md Imports.

 

Source: Meta 

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Meta Shakes Up Horizon Worlds: Shifting Focus from VR to Mobile to Rival Roblox

In a surprising strategic pivot, Meta has announced a major transformation for its virtual world platform, Horizon Worlds. Following last month’s initiative to broaden its reach to smartphones, the company has begun a phased withdrawal of its VR-first approach, signaling a new era where Horizon Worlds aims to compete directly with mobile giants like Roblox.

The Phase-Out Timeline

The transition is set to occur over the coming months:

• March 31, 2026: Horizon Worlds will be officially removed from the Meta Quest Store.

• June 15, 2026: VR services will be fully decommissioned. All existing user data and assets will be migrated to the mobile-optimized version of the platform.

Regarding Hyperscape Capture the feature allowing Quest users to share recorded spaces Meta confirmed that users will still be able to access their archived data, though recording and sharing new captures will be disabled.

The "CTO Intervention" Amid Backlash

The announcement sparked immediate backlash from the dedicated VR community. In response, Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth clarified that while the focus has shifted, current VR games and experiences within Horizon Worlds will remain accessible "for the time being." However, he noted that no further updates or new features will be developed for the VR version as the company prioritizes its mobile-first trajectory.

The number of active users for Roblox and Fortnite on smartphones far surpasses Horizon Worlds on VR. Meta's decision to disable VR to focus resources on mobile demonstrates an acknowledgment that "accessibility" is more important than "immersion" in building a user base of billions.

The trend in social media is shifting from heavy 3D VR headsets to "2.5D socializing," where users control avatars in virtual spaces using smartphones. Switching to a mobile-only platform will allow Meta to seamlessly integrate Horizon's features with Instagram and Facebook, such as allowing users to instantly jump into the virtual world from their feed.

Developing a virtual world that runs simultaneously on both resource-intensive VR headsets and mobile devices creates an enormous workload for developers (optimization). Removing VR will allow the team to upgrade graphics and physics to meet modern smartphone standards more quickly. Without worrying about resource consumption on older Quest headsets,

even though Andrew Bosworth says it's still accessible in VR, the experience gap between VR headset users and mobile phone users is a major problem. If Meta cannot enable both groups to interact equally, pivoting is a painful but necessary solution.

 

Google Stitch Now Supports Figma and DESIGN.md Imports.

 

Source: Meta