Meta's Horizon Worlds may soon relaunch amid growth struggles

Meta is revamping its Horizon Worlds virtual reality app by introducing more video games to attract a larger audience. The company has created an in-house studio called Ouro Interactive to develop these games, with the first game already released. This move is part of Meta's broader efforts to make virtual reality a more mainstream technology, even though the current response has been less enthusiastic, with the Reality Labs unit recording significant losses.

Introduction of New Games to Horizon Worlds:

Meta is enhancing Horizon Worlds, its free virtual reality social network, with more video games.

An in-house studio, Ouro Interactive, has been created to focus on making first-party VR games.

The studio's first game, Super Rumble, debuted and has better graphics than other VR games in Horizon Worlds.

The game will be one of the first to be tested in the mobile version of Horizon Worlds.

Next Generation of Horizon Worlds:

Vishal Shah, Meta's Vice President of Metaverse, referred to the revamping as "the next generation of Horizon Worlds."

More video games will be introduced as Meta builds the new Horizon Worlds.

The VR platform's infrastructure has been revamped to support higher-quality and more complex games.

Tools for third-party developers will be provided, along with in-house development and collaboration with other studios.

Plans for Mobile Version and Connecting Platforms:

Meta plans to release a mobile version of Horizon Worlds, acting as a bridge between smartphones and Quest VR headsets.

The focus is shifting from "VR only" to "VR first," according to Shah.

Financial Challenges and Public Response:

The revamping comes in light of Meta's earnings report showing a $3.7 billion operating loss for Reality Labs, with over $21 billion lost since 2022.

Horizon Worlds, meant to be a Roblox-like digital playground, has struggled to become a mainstream hit, attracting fewer than 200,000 monthly active users.

This reflects the public's current general lack of enthusiasm for VR technology.