Odaily Planet Daily reports that Meta has announced that, starting June 15, users will no longer be able to build, publish, or update virtual reality worlds on Meta Quest headsets, nor access Meta Horizon Worlds through the Quest devices. This virtual world functionality will continue to be available on the Meta Horizon mobile app.
A Meta spokesperson cited a blog post from February, which stated that the company is shifting the focus of Worlds to be "almost entirely mobile-first." Earlier in January, Meta laid off approximately 1,000 employees from its Reality Labs division and closed several virtual reality gaming and content studios. Andrew Bosworth, Chief Technology Officer and head of Reality Labs, stated in a memo to employees that Meta would primarily focus on mobile experiences rather than immersive virtual worlds accessed via headsets.
This move marks Meta’s further retreat from the metaverse strategy previously championed by Mark Zuckerberg. Resources at Reality Labs have shifted from VR gaming to wearable products aimed at advancing AI goals, including the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.