Meta documents show main metaverse is losing users and falling short of goals, report says - CNBC

Horizon Worlds, Meta's flagship metaverse for consumers, is failing to conscionable interior show expectations, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed interior institution documents.

Meta initially aimed to scope 500,000 monthly progressive users successful Horizon Worlds by the extremity of the year, but the existent fig is little than 200,000, according to the report. Additionally, the documents showed that astir users didn't instrumentality to Horizon aft the archetypal period connected the platform, and the fig of users has steadily declined since spring, the Journal said.

Only 9% of worlds are visited by astatine slightest 50 people, and astir are ne'er visited astatine all, according to the report.

Meta rebranded from Facebook past twelvemonth successful bid to bespeak the company's ambitions beyond societal media. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has specifically been funny successful gathering retired the metaverse, which is simply a virtual satellite that allows users to enactment and play together.

As a result, Meta created Horizon Worlds, which is simply a web of virtual spaces wherever users tin prosecute with 1 different arsenic avatars. Individuals tin entree Horizon done Meta's Quest virtual-reality headsets.

In an effort to drum up immoderate excitement astir the metaverse, Zuckerberg unveiled his company's newest virtual world headset, dubbed the Meta Quest Pro, astatine Meta's Connect league Tuesday. The instrumentality costs $1,500 and contains caller technologies, specified arsenic an precocious mobile Snapdragon machine chip.

A Meta spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that the institution continues to marque improvements to the metaverse, which was ever meant to beryllium a multiyear project. Representatives for Meta didn't instantly respond to CNBC's petition for comment.

Meta has said it volition merchandise a web mentation of Horizon for mobile devices and computers this year, but the spokesperson didn't person immoderate motorboat dates to disclose.

Read the afloat Journal study here.