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Meta exec hopes VR teens will stick around

The Verge / 3/13/2026

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Key Points

  • Meta Reality Labs' director of games Chris Pruett warned at GDC that the VR gaming market is in the roughest period he's seen in almost 30 years.
  • Free-to-play VR titles like Gorilla Tag are popular among young teens with limited disposable income, highlighting monetization challenges in the space.
  • The context includes Meta's January layoffs cutting over 1,000 VR-related roles, underscoring a shift toward AI and contributing to what is described as a VR winter.
  • The industry is experiencing broad headwinds, with developers and platforms working to keep teen audiences engaged amid the downturn.
Another Axiom Inc.
Free-to-play titles like GorillaTag are popular with young teens with little disposable income. | Image: Another Axiom Inc.

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"It is a pretty rough time for the game industry."

Meta Reality Labs director of games Chris Pruett did not mince words when he returned to GDC for his annual talk on the state of VR gaming this week. "I have been in the industry for almost 30 years at this point," he said. "This is the roughest period I have ever seen."

"It's rough for everybody," Pruett said. "It's rough for VR. We are not immune."

Pruett made these remarks two months after Meta cut more than 1,000 VR-relat …

Read the full story at The Verge.