Meta has backtracked on its plan to shut down the VR version of its Horizon Worlds metaverse app. Initially set to close on June 15, the VR experience for Meta Quest headsets will now continue to operate ”for the foreseeable future,” the company’s CTO Andrew Bosworth announced. While active development will stop, existing users will still be able to access their favorite Horizon Worlds VR games and experiences.
Just days earlier, Meta informed the community it would phase out VR support for Horizon Worlds to focus on mobile platforms, aiming for a broader reach. This reversal comes after public confusion and criticism, which Bosworth attributed to misleading headlines suggesting the VR metaverse was dead. ”VR isn’t dead,” he emphasized, clarifying that Meta’s position had been oversimplified.
Meta’s evolving Horizon Worlds VR strategy
Meta’s shifting approach to the metaverse reflects changing company priorities. The 2021 rebranding from Facebook to Meta marked a major investment in VR and Horizon Worlds as a key immersive platform. However, the app did not achieve widespread traction, even among VR enthusiasts. Recently, Meta’s focus has pivoted toward artificial intelligence and ”superintelligence” research, sidelining earlier VR ambitions.
How Meta balances VR hardware and metaverse development
Meta’s latest decision to neither close nor actively grow Horizon Worlds’ VR presence suggests a middle ground. The company recently cut over 1,000 jobs in VR and metaverse divisions and shuttered several studios, yet continues to develop new VR headset generations-indicating that VR hardware remains important but is deprioritized for now. Bosworth also expanded the metaverse definition beyond VR to include augmented reality, mobile devices, and traditional social media scrolling, diluting the VR-centric concept.
Current status and future outlook of Horizon Worlds VR
This cautious stance leaves Horizon Worlds VR as a niche experience, preserving core users without major innovation. Meta appears to be hedging its bets by maintaining option value in VR hardware while pivoting its metaverse strategy toward AI and broader digital ecosystems. Whether this balance will satisfy both the company’s ambitions and VR enthusiasts remains uncertain.