90.0% chaos · meltdown corporate chaos 6 sources 23h ago

Another nail in the Metaverse coffin: Meta Horizon Worlds is shutting down in three months for VR, but the mobile app will remain

What happened

Meta is shutting down the VR version of Horizon Worlds, its flagship social metaverse platform, in June 2025. The mobile app version will continue operating, but users Funniest in Ages—and Might Have ">have until March to download content and until June 15 to play in VR. This marks a significant retreat from Meta's ambitious metaverse vision that the company heavily promoted just a few years ago.

Why people care

Horizon Worlds was supposed to be the centerpiece of Meta's $10+ billion bet on the metaverse, representing CEO Mark Zuckerberg's vision for the future of social interaction. The shutdown signals Meta's continued pivot away from VR/metaverse investments revolt-to-launch-new-compan.html" class="story-link" title="‘Black-ish’ Writer-Producer Kenya Barris Partners With Revolt to Launch New Comp">toward AI, raising questions about the viability of the metaverse concept that dominated tech discourse in 2021-2022.

The takes

Critics say

This is yet another nail in the coffin of the metaverse hype cycle, proving that Meta's massive investment in VR social platforms was premature and misguided. The shutdown demonstrates that consumers simply aren't ready for or interested in socializing in virtual reality environments, despite years of promotion and development.

Supporters say

Meta is making a pragmatic business decision to focus resources on more promising AI initiatives while keeping the mobile version alive. The company is simply adapting to market realities and user preferences, and the lessons learned from Horizon Worlds will inform future social platforms and VR development.

Sources