Meta introduces quests and rewards to Horizon Worlds
Meta is looking for new ways to attract and keep users in its proto-metaverse Horizon Worlds.
Meta is testing a new feature for Horizon Worlds. The idea is that visitors to a world can complete small missions and receive exclusive rewards for their avatars. For example, clothing and accessories that match the world visited.
The feature is being tested in a new Horizon world called Giant Mini Paddle Golf, a mini-golf game set in a tropical island landscape. The quests are fairly simple, requiring a hole-in-one or completing an entire course. In the latter case, you can win a sea captain costume for your avatar's wardrobe.
The feature continues to roll out in the coming weeks, says Meta.
Horizon Worlds has trouble attracting and retaining users
Horizon Worlds has struggled with low user numbers and sparsely visited virtual worlds since its launch. By the end of 2022, Meta had halved its user base target from 500,000 to 280,000 active users, and despite thousands of worlds, only a few are visited by more than 50 people, according to WSJ report.
But Meta's proto-metaverse isn't just struggling to attract visitors. According to a leaked information, only ten percent of users return to the platform after a month.
A soon-to-be-released 2D web version of Horizon Worlds for desktop computers and mobile devices is expected to significantly increase usage. Meta expects only ten percent of visitors to participate via virtual reality.
Meta's proto-Metaverse is getting more gamey
Adapting more elements from games may be a good direction for Horizon Worlds. Successful proto-metaverses are usually games and attract users through their game elements. There are many exciting things to do in these worlds. Something that obviously doesn't apply to Horizon Worlds yet.
Perhaps Meta itself should create a series of high quality Horizon worlds with innovative game concepts that can attract and retain users. Currently, only creators are building worlds, some with Meta's support.
Horizon Worlds is still only available in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, France, and Spain.
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