Meta Spares Horizon Worlds VR at the Last Minute

Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook, has made a last-minute decision to keep Horizon Worlds VR alive, even as the company had previously planned to end support for the virtual worlds service. This announcement comes from Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, who shared the news through an Instagram AMA.

In the past, the metaverse was a key focus for Meta, with Horizon Worlds envisioned as the first step toward realizing that vision. However, the dream of the metaverse appears to have faded for now, leading to the company's previous plans to discontinue the VR experience.

But in a last-minute change of heart, Bosworth revealed that Meta has decided to keep Horizon Worlds working in VR. This means that existing games and experiences that already support VR will continue to do so, but new games will be exclusive to mobile platforms. The majority of the team's development focus will also shift towards mobile rather than VR.

Horizon Worlds, Meta's virtual worlds platform, was originally envisioned as the first step toward the company's ambitious metaverse project. However, the metaverse dream appears to have faded, leading to previous plans to discontinue the VR experience.

But in a surprising move, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth has announced that the company has decided to keep Horizon Worlds VR running, despite the earlier plans to end support. This decision was made just today, according to Bosworth's Instagram AMA.

The key takeaways are that existing VR games and experiences will continue, but new games will be exclusive to mobile platforms. Additionally, the majority of the Horizon Worlds team's development focus will shift towards mobile rather than VR. This suggests that while Meta is not completely abandoning the VR aspect of Horizon Worlds, the company is placing a greater emphasis on mobile-based experiences moving forward.

The decision to keep Horizon Worlds VR alive, even as the metaverse dream seems to have faded, is a surprising move by Meta. It suggests that the company still sees value in the VR aspect of its virtual worlds platform, despite the shifting focus towards mobile. This decision could also be a response to user feedback and demand for the VR experience.

As the tech industry continues to navigate the evolving landscape of virtual and augmented reality, Meta's Horizon Worlds remains an important piece of the puzzle. The company's latest decision to maintain the VR version of the platform, even as it shifts focus to mobile, will be closely watched by industry observers and users alike.