"From Experiment to Profitability"…Content and Developer Ecosystem Structure Reorganized
Meta has fully revised the strategic axis of its virtual reality (VR) business. The Reality Labs division, which has maintained massive investment over the past decade, is now reorganizing into a dual-track structure separating VR and mobile with "sustainability" as the top priority.
Samantha Ryan, VP leading Meta Reality Labs content, recently announced a roadmap through her blog clearly separating the existing integrated ecosystem into "Quest VR" and "Worlds." The core is redefining VR as hardware and premium app-centered, and Worlds as a mobile-based mass platform.
In the VR segment, Meta maintains hardware investment but shifted the content strategy center to third parties (3P). Approximately $150 million was invested in VR developer programs in 2025, and the company emphasized maintaining the highest market share in the current VR device market. Notably, data showing 86% of device dwell time occurring in external developer apps rather than Meta''s own apps was disclosed, with the company stating it will focus on supporting external ecosystems rather than internal production like Oculus Studios.
The biggest change is Worlds'' direction shift. Horizon Worlds is now redefined not as a VR-only metaverse but as a mobile-centered social platform. Meta disclosed that mobile Worlds experiments last year increased monthly active users (MAU) more than 4-fold — reflecting the reality that mobile expansion is far faster than VR device adoption rates.
The creator ecosystem is also reorganizing around mobile. In 2025, mobile-exclusive Worlds expanded to over 2,000 through the creator fund, with some creators recording over $1 million in revenue. Platform operations are also shifting to "selection and concentration" — removing individual World exposure from the VR store and restructuring around apps to expand developer exposure opportunities, while adding monetization tools including season passes and bundle products.
This strategy revision is interpreted as a realistic choice to maintain VR as a future platform while securing short-term profitability and mass appeal through mobile. Meta intends to strengthen cash flow through social games and creator economies connected to billions of mobile users, while continuing to invest in hardware-centered immersive experiences. VP Ryan noted "the journey is now only 1%" and stated concrete implementation plans would be disclosed at GDC. Meta''s 2026 strategy is highly likely to be recorded as an inflection point where the VR industry moves from "technological idealism" to "sustainable business."
