Horizon Worlds: Meta is now targeting mobile users
When Facebook rebranded as Meta in 2021, it was largely due to the company’s internal belief in VR technology. Meta saw Back then, Metas Horizon Worlds was considered the most important form of communication of the future. Now it seems pretty clear that the VR hype is over or about to be.
According to a recent interview with Samantha Ryan, VP of Content at Metas Reality Labs, a mobile-first strategy is now the focus, with Horizon Worlds concentrating almost exclusively on mobile devices.
As part of this restructuring, Meta is separating Horizon Worlds and the Quest VR platform into two distinct products. On the Quest/VR side, the focus will shift more towards third-party developers and content than on in-house worlds. In fact, some Horizon Worlds destinations will be removed from the VR Store, and the “Worlds” section will disappear from the Quest home screen.
Horizon Worlds competes against Roblox and Fortnite
In the Horizon area, the focus is shifting almost entirely to mobile devices. Apparently, the number of worlds developed exclusively for mobile devices grew from zero to 2,000 by 2025, and the number of monthly users more than quadrupled.
As part of this restructuring, Meta is introducing new tools like Meta Horizon Studio and the Meta Horizon Engine, and expanding their availability to enable better and more engaging mobile worlds. Naturally, there are also new monetization tools such as action packs and season passes.
Will Meta be able to compete with giants like Roblox and Fortnite? Time will tell. But the restructuring, however sensible it may be, also has its downsides: Recently, the company’s Reality Labs division laid off around 10% of its workforce due to extremely high investments coupled with disappointing user numbers.
