Since rebranding from Facebook to Meta, the company has invested a staggering $80 billion in the metaverse, making it the single largest investor in the VR industry. Despite the shutdown of Horizon Worlds, Meta’s VR hardware line will continue to operate, indicating that the company remains committed to its broader vision of virtual reality.

In the context of VR training, Walmart has been utilizing VR-based training for its contact center agents since 2021. A recent survey revealed that the average annual turnover rate for contact center employees has reached 60% in 2023. In response, Walmart implemented VR training programs that significantly reduced total training time for associates from eight hours to just 15 minutes. Furthermore, employee satisfaction scores at Walmart rose by 30% following the introduction of VR training, with associates scoring 10-15% higher on post-training assessments.

Industry experts, such as Marty Resnick, predict that by 2026, 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the metaverse for various activities, including work, shopping, education, and entertainment. Additionally, he forecasts that 30% of organizations worldwide will have products and services ready for the metaverse by the same year. Resnick emphasizes the importance of product managers taking the time to learn and prepare for the metaverse to remain competitive.

Despite the challenges faced by Horizon Worlds, Meta’s commitment to developing a robust roadmap for future VR headsets tailored to different audience segments suggests that the company is not abandoning its metaverse ambitions. The metaverse as a customer-facing service channel, however, has yet to materialize in any meaningful way, raising questions about the long-term viability of certain investments in the sector.

As the metaverse landscape evolves, observers are keen to see how Meta’s shift in strategy will impact its position within the VR industry and whether other companies will follow suit. The closure of Horizon Worlds may signal a broader trend of companies reassessing their investments in virtual reality as they navigate the complexities of user engagement and technology adoption.

Details remain unconfirmed regarding the specific features and functionalities that the new mobile app will offer, as well as how it will differentiate itself from the existing VR platform. As Meta continues to explore the future of the metaverse, the industry watches closely to see how these changes will shape the virtual reality landscape in the coming years.

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Meta is set to shut down Horizon Worlds, its virtual reality social platform, on June 15, 2026. This decision follows the company’s broader pivot towards the metaverse, which began with its rebranding from Facebook in October 2021. Horizon Worlds, once a cornerstone of Meta’s VR strategy, will transition to a mobile-only experience after the shutdown, as confirmed in a community blog post.

The app will be removed from the Quest store on March 31, 2026, marking a significant reduction in Meta’s VR offerings. Prior to this announcement, Meta had cut over 1,000 employees from Reality Labs, the division responsible for developing the metaverse, indicating a shift in focus and resources.

Despite the closure, Meta has reiterated its commitment to virtual reality as a format. The company has outlined a roadmap for future VR headsets tailored to different audience segments, suggesting that while Horizon Worlds may be ending, the pursuit of a comprehensive metaverse experience continues.

Horizon Worlds has faced criticism since its inception, particularly regarding its visual quality and user engagement levels. Observers noted that the platform has never achieved significant popularity, with some suggesting that its increasing visibility in Meta Quest feeds has only amplified these criticisms. As one commentator put it, “It does feel like the end of an era.”

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has previously expressed ambitious goals for the metaverse, stating, “Our hope is that within the next decade, the metaverse will reach a billion people, host hundreds of billions of dollars of digital commerce, and support jobs for millions of creators and developers.” This vision underscores the importance of the metaverse in Meta’s long-term strategy.

As Meta continues to navigate the complexities of the virtual reality landscape, the closure of Horizon Worlds raises questions about the future of its other metaverse initiatives. The company is likely to focus on refining its offerings and addressing the challenges that have hindered user engagement in its VR platforms.

Details remain unconfirmed regarding how this shift will impact Meta’s broader metaverse ambitions and whether new platforms will emerge to fill the void left by Horizon Worlds. Observers will be watching closely to see how Meta adapts its strategy in response to these challenges and what new developments may arise in the coming years.

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