Meta, Facebook's Parent Company, Shuts Down VR World Horizon Worlds - Meta abandons Horizon Worlds as VR dreams fade into AI ambitions
Meta is shifting its focus away from virtual reality after years of heavy investment. The company has announced the shutdown of its flagship VR platform, Horizon Worlds, while doubling down on artificial intelligence. This move follows billions in losses from its Reality Labs division, which had struggled to gain widespread user adoption.
In 2021, Meta—then still called Facebook—rebranded under founder Mark Zuckerberg's vision of virtual reality as the future of computing. The company poured resources into Reality Labs, the division behind Quest headsets and Horizon Worlds. Despite shipping 1.7 million Quest units in 2025 at a competitive $349 price point, the platform failed to attract enough users.
Horizon Worlds will remain accessible in VR via Quest until June 15 before transitioning to a mobile-only app. Meta has already closed several in-house VR studios and discontinued Horizon Workrooms, the professional-focused version of the platform. While the company insists it is not abandoning VR entirely, the technology has not progressed as quickly as expected.
Now, Reality Labs is pivoting toward smart glasses, equipped with cameras, microphones, and speakers to interact with Meta's AI assistant. Meanwhile, the company plans to invest hundreds of billions in expanding data centres to stay competitive in the AI race.
The shutdown of Horizon Worlds marks the end of Meta's most ambitious VR project to date. The company's future now hinges on AI development and smart hardware, with Reality Labs refocusing its efforts. Meta's massive data centre expansion signals a clear shift in strategy after years of financial setbacks in virtual reality.
