Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is taking a cut of up to 47.5% on digital assets sold within its virtual reality platform, Horizon Worlds. Horizon Worlds is a free VR game that lets users build and explore virtual worlds. While it’s all part of Meta’s plan for creating its virtual “metaverse,” it comes at a cost to creators.
Published last year, Horizon Worlds is available on Oculus VR headsets in the US and Canada. Creators can sell virtual items and effects within the worlds they create. One example is Wendy’s “Wendyverse,” essentially an advertisement where frosty fans can connect with each other.
A Meta spokesperson told CNBC, “that Meta will take an overall cut of up to 47.5% on each transaction. That includes a ‘hardware platform fee’ of 30% for sales made through the Meta Quest Store, where it sells apps and games for its virtual reality headsets. On top of that, Horizon Worlds will charge a 17.5% fee.”
This news sounds hypocritical after CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly criticized Apple for charging a 30% developers fee for in-app purchases in the App Store.
Just a few months ago, Zuckerberg shared on Facebook:
“As we build for the metaverse, we’re focused on unlocking opportunities for creators to make money from their work,” he said. “The 30% fees that Apple takes on transactions make it harder to do that, so we’re updating our subscriptions product so now creators can earn more.”
However, Meta’s VP of Horizon, Vivek Sharma, told The Verge, “We think it’s a pretty competitive rate in the market. We believe in the other platforms being able to have their share.”
So what is it? Apple’s 30% fee is too much for Meta but it’s okay for it to charge more within the metaverse? Let us know your thoughts.
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