Meta Is Shutting Down One Of Its Biggest VR Games

Population One, a well-known battle-royale shooter set in virtual reality, would no longer support Quest 1. This announcement comes at the same time that Meta increased the price of their Quest 2 headsets. Quest 1 owners won’t be able to launch or play the game after October 31, 2022, according to BigBox VR, the Meta-owned game developer, who revealed the announcement in a blog post.

BigBox VR claims that the shutdown was essential for the company to concentrate on creating fresh experiences “that will push the boundaries of multiplayer VR.” However, Quest 1 gamers who have a VR-ready PC can still access the game technically. The game supports cross-buy, making the PC version accessible through Air Link and Oculus Link. By doing so, players should be able to play Population: One on their PC using their Quest 1 headset (whether wirelessly or with a wired connection). The game is still accessible with the Quest 2, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Rift S.

While Meta is promising Quest 1 owners a refund for Population: One, there is a catch: users must have bought the game through the Quest Store within the previous six months. For a game that debuted on the Quest almost two years ago, the restriction seems a little unjust and will probably leave some gamers with a game they can’t even play (unless, of course, they upgrade to the now-$399 Quest 2 or use Air / Oculus Link, which necessitates an expensive VR-ready PC).

The shutdown of Population: One also highlights the question that other developers will soon discontinue supporting Quest 1, a game that has been available for three years. In a statement by Meta’s spokesperson Caiti Sullivan, the firm is “working on the details of an ecosystem-wide end-of-support approach” and that “other developers who desire to terminate support for apps on Quest 1 will be allowed to do so.” When asked if any other games would discontinue support for Quest 1 soon, Meta declined to comment further.

Although it’s quite understandable that games won’t be able to support every older system indefinitely, announcing that users of the Quest 1 will soon have to choose between one less game is like receiving a double stroke. Meta might be increasing the cost of the Quest 2 and possibly encouraging consumers to buy it in order to reduce the losses its virtual reality subsidiary reported in both the first and second quarters of 2022.