Meta is working on a web version of its Horizon Worlds social virtual reality platform, company CTO Andrew "Boz" Bosworth said. The expansion would allow users to try out Horizon Worlds without having to wear the Quest VR headset, which is currently the only way to access the virtual world.
Bosworth's announcement about the web version of the platform defended the Meta cut of 47,5% of NFT sales in Horizon Worlds. The 47,5% figure includes a 30% platform fee for purchases made through Meta's Quest Store. Bosworth commented that when the web version of Horizon Worlds launches, the fee for sales would be 25% because it would avoid the Quest Store's 30% cut. He noted that this percentage is "a much lower rate compared to other similar world-building platforms."
This means that if someone bought a digital item in the web version of Horizon Worlds, the designer you're buying from would get a larger share of the sale than if the same purchase was made in the VR version.
"We're delivering on our goal of ensuring developers have a path to real financial success on our platform," Bosworth said. "It's early days, there's still a lot of work to do, and we continue to partner closely with our creators and developers to enable them to earn significant revenue."
Bosworth did not provide any further details about the web version of the virtual world, nor did he reveal any details about how it would work or when it would be released. The news arrives as he indicated The Verge about Meta also wanting to bring Horizon Worlds to mobile phones by the end of 2022.
Meta's plans to release web and mobile versions of its virtual world could be seen as a way for the company to get more people to join Horizon Worlds by avoiding the need for a Quest VR headset. But there's also the question of whether a web and mobile version of the platform would defeat the purpose of Meta's metaverse vision. Considering that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees the metaverse as a mobile internet successor”, where you'll be able to do things you can't in the physical world, it's unclear how a web and mobile version of Horizon Worlds would fit into this vision.
Bosworth's comments came a few days after Meta revealed that it is testing a feature that will allow creators to sell virtual items and effects within their worlds. The new feature is rolling out to a small group of creators and marks a significant next step in the company's mission to build the foundation for VR social networking. All users with access to Horizon Worlds will be able to make these purchases in the world. Meta is also beginning to test a Horizon Worlds creator bonus program for participants in the United States.
Horizon Worlds opened to all users 18 and older in the United States and Canada in December 2021 after the platform was first announced in 2019.
