Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth announced a strategic shift in the company's Quest focus: Meta is reducing VR investment in Horizon Worlds to concentrate on third-party games and smartphone users.
Investment Changes
The company plans to scale back Horizon Worlds on Meta Quest with the upcoming software update, v85, opting for a mobile-only approach. Bosworth admitted that integrating Horizon with VR challenged the user experience and development goals.
- Horizon Worlds will pivot to mobile-only.
- Release: Meta Quest update v85.
- Focus: Third-party content for Meta Quest headsets.
- Closure: Some recent studio operations.
- Date: Staff changes on 2026-01-13.
Market Implications
Some industry observers linked previous shifts in the Quest store towards Horizon content with declining VR game sales. Despite slower growth, VR remains a focus for Meta.
Oculus founder Palmer Luckey stated that Meta's VR commitment remains strong and noted Meta employs the largest VR team globally. Bosworth confirmed continued investment in VR development.
