Meta Shifts Towards Free-to-Play Model Amidst Surge of New Quest Owners

Meta is making strides in its metaverse ambitions, with an evolving user base that includes younger audience and mainstream users shaping the Quest platform throughout 2024. Samantha Ryan, VP of Metaverse Content, notes that more free-to-play content could emerge as a result.

In a recent developer blog, Ryan detailed how user behavior has shifted over the past year, largely influenced by the influx of individuals completely new to Quest. “We’ve seen a rise in device sales in 2024 compared to the previous year. People are spending more time on their Quest 3S devices at launch than on any other headset,” Ryan explains. “Spending across Quest devices has also gone up, with total payment volume increasing by 12% in 2024, primarily due to a rise in in-app purchases.”

Free-to-play games are heavily reliant on these in-app purchases. Games like Another Axiom’s VR hit Gorilla Tag (2022) have raked in impressive revenue, crossing the $100 million mark last summer through in-game cosmetics alone.

“We’re developing a social-first platform, and these younger users prefer spending time with friends in multiplayer games and social apps,” Ryan continues, pointing out the increasing popularity of free-to-play titles, a trend seen on other platforms too. There’s also been noticeable growth among younger users within Horizon Worlds.

In a recently leaked memo, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth emphasized the need for their cross-compatible social platform to thrive. He highlighted that the mobile version of Horizon Worlds is crucial for the company’s long-term strategy.

Ryan adds, “We anticipate free-to-play (F2P) becoming a more viable strategy for developers, who have primarily depended on premium apps until now. However, both models are likely to coexist rather than F2P replacing premium apps.”

Despite this, Quest’s dedicated VR enthusiasts, who demand high-quality premium content, remain vital to the ecosystem. Existing Quest users have propelled device sales by upgrading from older models, with they accounting for 27% of Quest 3 and 20% of Quest 3S users this year.

Ryan notes that most new devices in 2024 are actually in the hands of users who are completely new to Quest, not just enthusiastic upgraders. “The typical characteristics of VR enthusiasts don’t fully represent the current Quest user base anymore,” she remarks.

When it comes to traditional media and entertainment consumption, Ryan points out that while 2D apps and browsers haven’t historically been heavily used on Quest devices, engagement has been growing in recent years. “The use of 2D apps has increased since the launch of Quest 3. We’re enhancing the operating system with features like multitasking, theater mode, and immersive audio to support this expanding user group,” Ryan says. In 2024 alone, there was a 10% rise in overall time spent per user per month on media apps, and a 21% increase in the use of the headset’s default Internet browser.

Meta seems to be approaching a critical juncture. The company aims to balance serving early adopters craving premium content with revenue-boosting, social-driven free-to-play content. It remains to be seen just how heavily Meta will lean on in-app spending to sustain its developer ecosystem, which could prompt a design focus on engagement over depth. One thing is clear: Meta’s challenge is to manage growth while maintaining appeal for both new users and VR veterans alike.