Meta is now targeting mobile users first with Metaverse

Meta Pivots Metaverse Strategy: Mobile-First Approach for Horizon Worlds

The metaverse buzz that accompanied Facebook's 2021 rebrand to Meta may be shifting gears. While Meta's Reality Labs division once heavily championed virtual reality (VR) as the future of communication with its flagship platform, Horizon Worlds, recent statements indicate a significant strategic pivot.

Horizon Worlds Embraces Mobile-First

In a candid interview, Meta's VP of Content at Reality Labs, Samantha Ryan, revealed a new direction: a mobile-first strategy. Horizon Worlds is now slated to become "almost exclusively mobile." This marks a substantial departure from its initial VR-centric vision, suggesting the company is recalibrating its expectations for VR adoption.

Separating VR and Mobile Experiences

To facilitate this shift, Meta is separating its Horizon Worlds platform from its Quest VR hardware. The VR side of the Quest platform will now prioritize third-party developer content and experiences, rather than Meta's own first-party creations. In a clear indication of this change, individual Horizon Worlds destinations are being removed from the VR store, and the dedicated Worlds section is disappearing from the Quest home screen.

The Road Ahead: Competition and Restructuring

This strategic repositioning raises questions about Meta's ability to compete with established giants in the immersive entertainment space, such as Roblox and Fortnite, which already boast massive mobile user bases. While this restructuring may prove to be a sensible adaptation, it comes amidst recent workforce reductions, with Meta's Reality Labs division reportedly laying off approximately 10% of its employees. The long-term success of this mobile-first metaverse strategy remains to be seen. Source