The new approach sets Meta up to better compete with platforms like Roblox and Fortnitewhich also offers user-generated experiences that can be played on your phone. Horizon Worlds was originally launched for VR, but “to really change the game and tap into a much bigger market, we’re going full mobile.”
“With our unique ability to connect these games to billions of people on the world’s largest social networks, we are in a strong position to deliver synchronous social games at scale,” says Ryan. “You’ve seen that strategy start to unfold in 2025, and now that’s our main focus.”
When it comes to VR software, Ryan says Meta is focused on supporting third-party developers. “While we’re proud of Oculus Studios’ world-class work over the years, between 1P and 3P apps, 86% of the effective time people spend in their VR headsets is with third-party apps.”
But Meta still plans to make VR hardware; “We have a robust roadmap for future VR headsets that will be tailored to different audience segments as the market grows and matures,” says Ryan. (This new hardware, which could include a new flagship line of Quest headsets, may come at a higher price.)
After a not-so-successful bet on the metaverse, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg now sees AI as a new social medium, a vision that could include AI-generated games that users can share with others on their channels. “There are 3D versions of that and there are 2D versions of that, and Horizon, I think, lends itself very well to that kind of immersive 3D version,” Zuckerberg said at the company’s latest earnings call.