The XR Weekly Update (February 25, 2025): Potential Sale of Pokemon Go by Niantic, Meta Unveils $50M Horizon Worlds Creator Fund, and More!

A fresh week means a fresh batch of XR updates coming your way!

Top Highlights of the Week

(Image by Niantic)

Niantic is Considering Selling Its Gaming Division

In a surprising turn of events reported by Bloomberg, Niantic is in discussions with Saudi Arabia-owned Scopely about selling its gaming division for a staggering $3.5 billion. This essentially signals a potential shift for Pokémon Go fans, as the iconic game might soon belong to a new company. It’s quite a shock, given Pokémon Go’s enduring success and substantial revenue generation. Despite its past failures to replicate that success with other games—such as the discontinued Harry Potter AR experience—Niantic seems prepared to part with its most lucrative asset. This decision appears to be driven by a desire to pivot towards building an “outdoor metaverse” and enhancing their AR service offerings. Without the constant financial safety net from Pokémon Go, Niantic is making a bold, possibly risky leap towards an AR-centric future.

While this move is audacious and comes with significant risks, it’s a thrilling prospect for XR enthusiasts. It reflects Niantic’s belief in an imminent rise of AR technology within the next few years.

Learn more about it here

Additional Noteworthy News

(Image by Meta)

Meta Unveils $50M Fund for Horizon Worlds

Meta recently announced a $50 million fund dedicated to creators for its Horizon Worlds platform. These bonuses will be awarded based on contributions to the ecosystem, such as time spent and in-world purchases. Alongside this initiative, Meta has enhanced its creation tools with a new desktop editor, enabling developers to create worlds with more complexity and beauty using Typescript.

While it’s exciting to see Meta investing in its creator community, this move coincides with ongoing complaints from XR developers about visibility issues in the Horizon Store. Some fear this newfound focus on Horizon Worlds could stifle the broader Quest ecosystem. Meta’s distribution strategy for these funds also raises questions, potentially excluding smaller teams and startups who can’t risk their time without guaranteed compensation.

Nonetheless, the financial boost for creators remains a promising development, though there’s room for Meta to refine its approach to supporting the entire XR ecosystem effectively.

Find out more here

Continued Challenges in the XR Sector

The challenges in the XR sector persist, with layoffs and mixed reactions from developers. Amidst complaints about the Meta Horizon Store’s content quality and user frustrations, success stories, although scarce, bring some hope.

• Embracer Group expressed disappointment with Metro Awakening’s performance despite positive reviews.
• Toast Interactive laid off staff and cited Quest Store visibility issues as a challenge.
• Schell Games rebranding Among Us VR to Among Us 3D marks a strategic shift to draw a broader audience.
• Noteworthy success: 3R Games’ Thief Simulator VR has sold over 310,000 units on Quest.

Read more on these developments here

Meta Announces Connect 2025 Dates

Mark your calendars: Meta Connect is set for September 17-18. While details are scarce, anticipate updates on smart glasses and 3rd party Horizon headsets.

Get more information here

Other Noteworthy Mentions

(Image by Anduril)

Palmer Luckey Shares Insights on New Military Headset

Palmer Luckey, during an interview, highlighted the innovations of his military-focused headset, claiming it surpasses existing technology in terms of design and capability. He boldly described it as the most advanced AR/VR/MR system to date.

Learn more about this cutting-edge technology here

Meta Rethinking Terminology

Meta is now lumping MR and VR under the “MR” label. This shift seems to mimic Apple’s language, though it confuses developers and doesn’t quite align with existing VR definitions.

Meta Quest Updates

Quest v74 runtime introduces intriguing features like DisplayPort mode for high-quality external display mirroring, enhancing the casting and demonstration experience.

Discover more updates here

Upcoming VR Games Showcase

Look forward to March 11th for the VR Games Showcase, featuring exciting previews of upcoming VR titles.

Sneak peek here

Developer-Focused Humble Bundle

The new “All-In-One VR Game Dev Bundle” offers valuable resources for developers working with Unity, Unreal, and Godot.

Check it out here

Content Updates

Numerous VR and MR games are poised for release, offering everything from investigation adventures in Detective VR to the chaotic survival excitement of Silent North.

Explore the full list here

Content Reviews

Several VR experiences garnered attention, with unique offerings in narrative adventures, music, and roguelite shooters leaving varied impressions.

Dive into the reviews here

Additional News

From exploring the potential of an RTX 5090 in VR to Apple’s upcoming VisionOS features, this week reveals plenty for tech enthusiasts to chew on.

Discover more insights here

Partner and Friend News

Golden Kingdom aims to deliver an ambitious fantasy RPG experience. If you’re curious, a free demo is available during the Steam Next Fest.

Find out about the game here

Some XR Fun

Curious about AI capabilities and developer humor? Check out these funny links for a good laugh!

Laugh along here

Donate for a Good Cause

This week, consider supporting the Red Cross as they provide relief to those affected by conflict in Ukraine. Your support can make a difference.

Support The Red Cross

(Header image by Niantic)

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