Meta’s metaverse collapses as Horizon Worlds shuts down on Quest

Meta will shut down Horizon Worlds on its Quest headsets, ending its flagship virtual reality (VR) platform and marking a clear retreat from its metaverse ambitions. The app will be removed from the Quest store on 31 March and discontinued in VR by 15 June, continuing only as a mobile service.

Horizon Worlds, launched in 2021, was central to Meta’s rebranding from Facebook and its vision of a fully immersive virtual environment. Despite billions in investment and high-profile partnerships, the platform failed to attract a large user base and struggled with design limitations and weak engagement.

Reality Labs, the division behind the metaverse push, has accumulated nearly $80 billion in losses since 2020, including more than $6 billion in a single quarter. Recent layoffs affecting around 10 percent of the VR workforce, along with the shutdown of related projects, underscore a broader pullback.

Competition and shifting priorities have accelerated the decline. Rival platforms such as VRChat maintained stronger communities, while Meta increasingly redirected resources toward AI and hardware, including its Ray-Ban smart glasses.

Although Meta says it remains committed to VR, the closure of Horizon Worlds signals a strategic reset. The company is repositioning its future around AI-driven products, marking a decisive shift away from its earlier metaverse vision.

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