Meta Considers Free-to-Play Strategy Amid Shift in Quest Userbase with Influx of New Owners

Meta’s vision for the metaverse is moving forward at an impressive pace. Throughout 2024, younger audiences and broader consumer groups have been significantly influencing the direction of the Quest platform. Samantha Ryan, Meta’s VP of Metaverse Content, believes this shift could pave the way for more free-to-play content to thrive.

In a recent blog post aimed at developers, Ryan outlined the key changes in user behavior observed last year, driven by an influx of individuals who are entirely new to Quest. “In 2024, we saw an increase in device sales, and people spent more time on Quest 3S devices compared to any other headset upon launch,” Ryan explained. She also pointed out that spending on Quest platforms has risen. “Total payment volume soared by 12% in 2024, largely fueled by a surge in in-app purchases,” she added.

Free-to-play games, such as the standout VR title Gorilla Tag from Another Axiom, heavily rely on these in-app purchases. Last summer, Gorilla Tag generated over $100 million in gross revenue, mostly through cosmetic sales.

“Our aim is to create a socially-driven platform,” Ryan said. “The younger crowd tends to hang out with friends in multiplayer and social apps. This behavior is fueling the popularity of free-to-play titles—a trend we’ve seen on other platforms before. We’re also noticing more young users joining Horizon Worlds.”

Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, emphasized the importance of the company’s cross-compatible social platform. In a leaked memo, he mentioned the necessity for the mobile version of Horizon Worlds to “gain momentum” for Meta’s long-term objectives to succeed.

Ryan believes that the free-to-play (F2P) model will become a viable option for more developers. “Previously, developers mostly depended on premium apps. However, we expect F2P to gain traction alongside premium apps—they’ll likely coexist,” she remarked.

But it’s important to note that Quest’s core group of VR enthusiasts, who demand top-quality content, “remains a key pillar of this growing ecosystem”, according to Ryan. She mentioned that existing Quest users have driven a “wave of sales by upgrading from older models,” making up 27% of Quest 3 and 20% of Quest 3S users for the year.

Interestingly, Ryan pointed out that in 2024, the majority of new device users weren’t existing enthusiasts upgrading but rather new faces in the Quest community. “Traditional VR enthusiast traits no longer define the majority of our user base,” she said.

Regarding media and entertainment, Ryan noted that 2D apps and browsers have historically seen limited engagement on Quest, even though usage has been increasing in recent years. “The use of 2D apps has risen since the launch of Quest 3. With ongoing improvements like multitasking, theater mode, and immersive audio, we aim to better support this expanding user group.” In 2024, there was a 10% increase in the time spent on media apps per user per month, and a 21% rise in the use of the headset’s default Internet browser.

Meta appears to be approaching a turning point with Quest, as the company strives to meet the premium content expectations of early adopters while also recognizing the growing significance of free-to-play, socially-driven content in revenue planning. Though it’s not entirely clear how much Meta will depend on in-app purchases to sustain its developer community—potentially leading to prioritizing engagement-maximizing designs—one thing is certain: Meta’s current challenge is to manage this growth without sidelining any segment of their audience.