- Updated: March 20, 2026
- 6 min read
Meta Reverses Horizon Worlds Shutdown Plan
Skip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonThe VergeThe Verge logo.Meta is actually keeping its VR metaverse running, for nowTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentGamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingMeta is actually keeping its VR metaverse running, for now The company had planned to shut down VR Horizon Worlds experiences, but now they’ll be available to access ‘for the foreseeable future.’ The company had planned to shut down VR Horizon Worlds experiences, but now they’ll be available to access ‘for the foreseeable future.’by Jay PetersCloseJay PetersSenior ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jay PetersMar 19, 2026, 4:36 PM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: MetaJay PetersCloseJay PetersPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jay Peters is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.Meta is reversing its plans to shut down its VR metaverse — sort of.On Monday, the company announced that it would be shutting down the VR version of its 3D social platform Horizon Worlds on June 15th in favor of a new focus on the mobile version of the app.But in a Wednesday AMA on his Instagram, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said the company has decided that existing VR worlds would remain available and that the Horizon Worlds VR app will be available to download “for the foreseeable future.”Meta is keeping VR Horizon Worlds experiences around as a way to support “the fans who reached out, like yourself, who really care about that,” Bosworth says.But the company isn’t bringing out new VR Horizon Worlds games, and it’s still mostly focused on Horizon Worlds on mobile; “The reason for that is because that’s where most of the consumer and creator energy already was, and so we’re kind of leaning into that,” according to Bosworth.Meta’s bets on VR software haven’t worked out very well; the company recently laid off about 10 percent of its Reality Labs division, closed three VR studios, stopped new content for VR fitness app Supernatural, and discontinued its metaverse for work. But Bosworth says that Meta has talked about the metaverse more broadly as “not just VR and virtual worlds and immersive spaces, but also AR and how you can have digital artifacts overlaid on physical things.And I’ve always said to people from day one that the metaverse is here, it’s just not evenly distributed.”That apparently encapsulates activities like somebody next to you being on their phone, Bosworth says:When somebody is using their phone and you’re physically with them, they’re at the dinner table with you, and yet when you talk to them, they hear nothing, because they’ve transported themselves through the glowing rectangle into a digital space.And it doesn’t have to be three dimensional, maybe they’re scrolling media, maybe that they’re in a text world, but like they have transported themselves. So we’ve always had this internally, at least me and Mark, this very expansive construct of the metaverse as this digital, physical construct.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Jay PetersCloseJay PetersSenior ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jay PetersEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentGamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingMetaCloseMetaPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All MetaNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechMost PopularMost PopularBelkin’s wireless HDMI adapter freed me from a long annoying cable when I travelTesla’s Full Self-Driving is on the cusp of a recallCasio’s new $600 calculator is a work of artA rogue AI led to a serious security incident at MetaLina Khan was rightThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adMore in TechMarc Andreessen is a philosophical zombieHermès doesn’t include a power adapter with its $5,150 charging caseA rogue AI led to a serious security incident at MetaPrediction markets are trying to lure journalists with partnership dealsGoogle reveals its solution for true Android sideloading: a mandatory waiting periodHarlowe has a cheaper solution for lighting 360-degree shootsMarc Andreessen is a philosophical zombieElizabeth LopattoMar 19Hermès doesn’t include a power adapter with its $5,150 charging caseAndrew LiszewskiMar 19A rogue AI led to a serious security incident at MetaStevie BonifieldMar 19Prediction markets are trying to lure journalists with partnership dealsMia SatoMar 19Google reveals its solution for true Android sideloading: a mandatory waiting periodDominic PrestonMar 19Harlowe has a cheaper solution for lighting 360-degree shootsAndrew LiszewskiMar 19Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adTop StoriesMar 19Lina Khan was rightMar 19Marc Andreessen is a philosophical zombieMar 19All the wrong EVs are getting canceledMar 19Prediction markets are trying to lure journalists with partnership dealsMar 19Paramount’s $110 billion Warner Bros. gamble VideoMar 19Nothing Phone 4A Pro review: That flagship feeling
Andrii Bidochko
CTO UBOS
Andrii Bidochko is an AI entrepreneur and researcher focused on AI agents, reinforcement learning, and autonomous systems. He writes about the technologies shaping the future of machine intelligence, from frontier models and agent architectures to real-world AI applications.