Meta Shifts Focus to Free-to-Play Model Amid Changing Quest Userbase with New Wave of Owners

Meta’s vision for the metaverse is changing swiftly, spurred by younger users and everyday consumers who are increasingly shaping the Quest platform as we advance through 2024. Samantha Ryan, Meta’s VP of Metaverse Content, notes that this shift could pave the way for a surge in free-to-play content.

In a recent blog post aimed at developers, Ryan shared insights into how user behavior has transformed over the past year, largely driven by newcomers to the Quest ecosystem.

“Compared to the previous year, device sales saw a boost in 2024, and people spent more time with Quest 3S than any other headset at launch,” Ryan explained. “We also noticed a rise in spending across Quest devices, with total payment volume climbing 12% in 2024, fueled by a marked increase in in-app purchases.”

Free-to-play games thrive on these in-app transactions, as demonstrated by Another Axiom’s hit VR game, Gorilla Tag (2022), which surpassed $100 million in revenue last summer, primarily through in-game cosmetics.

“Our aim is to develop a platform that prioritizes social interaction,” Ryan explains. “These younger users are more inclined to engage with friends in multiplayer games and social hangout apps. This trend supports the growth of free-to-play titles, a well-documented phenomenon on other platforms. Horizon Worlds is also seeing an increase in its younger user base.”

Adding his voice, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth emphasized the company’s commitment to its social platform’s versatility. In a leaked memo, he stressed that the mobile phone version of Horizon Worlds “must succeed if our long-term plans are to have a chance.”

Ryan anticipates that free-to-play (F2P) will become a viable strategy for developers, complementing the existing premium app model rather than replacing it entirely. Both business models are expected to coexist.

On the other hand, the core group of VR enthusiasts, who demand high-quality premium content, “continues to be a cornerstone of this expanding ecosystem,” Ryan points out, with current Quest owners fueling a surge in device upgrades. These users accounted for 27% of Quest 3 and 20% of Quest 3S sales in 2024.

Yet, the bulk of new devices sold weren’t to enthusiasts merely upgrading but to fresh faces entirely new to the Quest family. “The typical characteristics of VR enthusiasts no longer fully capture the entire Quest user base,” Ryan remarks.

When it comes to traditional media and entertainment use, Ryan shares that 2D apps and browsers have historically struggled to captivate Quest users, though engagement has been creeping upward in recent years.

“The use of 2D apps has increased since the launch of Quest 3. Ongoing enhancements to our operating system, such as multitasking, theater mode, and immersive audio, are designed to meet the needs of this expanding user group.” In 2024, Quest reported a 10% rise in the average time spent per user each month on media apps, along with a 21% uptick in individuals using the device’s built-in Internet browser.

Meta’s recent trajectory suggests that Quest is approaching a critical juncture. The company aims to meet the premium content expectations of early adopters while the influence of social, free-to-play models looms larger over revenue forecasts. What remains uncertain is the extent to which Meta will capitalize on in-app spending to maintain its developer ecosystem. It’s clear, however, that the challenge lies in capturing this growth without sidelining either end of the spectrum.