Meta just reversed course on shutting down its VR metaverse after announcing the closure earlier this week. The company had planned to kill off Horizon Worlds VR on June 15th to focus on the mobile app version instead.
This flip-flop shows how Meta is still figuring out what to do with the virtual reality world it spent billions building. The metaverse was supposed to be the future of social media, but it never caught on like Facebook and Instagram did.
Change of Heart
Meta announced the VR shutdown on Monday, saying it wanted to focus on the mobile version of Horizon Worlds instead. But by Wednesday, the company had backtracked completely. They’re now keeping the VR version alive while still working on the mobile app.
The reversal suggests Meta isn’t ready to give up on VR entirely, even though the metaverse has been a tough sell. Most people still prefer scrolling on their phones to strapping on a headset and hanging out in virtual worlds.
Meta has poured over $40 billion into VR and metaverse technology since 2019, but user numbers remain disappointingly low. Horizon Worlds launched with great fanfare but struggled to keep people coming back.
What’s Next
Meta will now try to make both the VR and mobile versions of Horizon Worlds work. It’s unclear how long the company will keep funding the VR metaverse if users don’t start showing up in bigger numbers. For now, Meta’s virtual world gets to live another day.
