Meta is bringing the Worlds platform to mobile devices to create "synchronous social games"
Horizon Worlds was initially part of the company's ambitions towards the metaverse. The company no longer uses this term and is now moving away from its original focus on VR.
According to Samantha Ryan, Vice President of Content at Reality Labs, the Quest VR platform will be separated from the Horizon Worlds ecosystem. This move aims to tap into a much larger market and establish a competitive edge in the "synchronous social game" segment.
By this term, the company likely refers to various mobile games and user-generated content (UGC). In 2025, several studios, including Do Big Studio (the creators of Roblox hit Steal a Brainrot), joined the creator support program. Last year alone, four Horizon Worlds content creators earned a million dollars, with payouts to another hundred reaching six-figure sums.
As for VR games, Meta* is scaling back investments in its projects, instead focusing on supporting third-party developers. The main reason is that titles from Oculus Studios account for only 14% of the time spent in virtual reality headsets.
Previously, the company conducted significant layoffs in its unprofitable Reality Labs division. It laid off roughly 1,500 employees and closed three VR studios: Twisted Pixel Games (Marvel’s Deadpool VR), Sanzaru Games (Asgard’s Wrath), and Armature Studio (Resident Evil 4 VR).
*Meta is recognized as an extremist company in Russia, and its activities are banned in the country.