Mark Zuckerberg’s 80-billion-dollar VR Metaverse is being scrapped in June, and the internet can’t stop laughing – 21 favourite burns
Five years after it was launched with bells, whistles and trumpets, but no legs, Meta’s Horizon Worlds VR Metaverse – the virtual space in which avatars of users can interact via virtual reality headsets – has been given a death sentence.
Meta is shutting down its VR metaverse on June 15th.
— More Perfect Union (@moreperfectunion.bsky.social) March 18, 2026 at 4:17 PM
With estimates of the cost to Meta of between $80 and $100 billion, poor take-up and a pivot to a focus on AI have rendered Mark Zuckerberg’s very expensive baby unviable, although Horizon Worlds will still exist as a mobile app.
When the news broke, some people were surprised to discover it hadn’t already been shelved, while others just basked in the schadenfreude. Here’s how Bluesky responded.
1.
looks like we are never getting those legs😭
— Magnum, T.I.(M.) (@hydrationchimp.bsky.social) March 18, 2026 at 4:22 PM
2.
Who could have foreseen this?
I mean nearly everybody who learned about it, but really who else?
— artwells (@artwells.com) March 18, 2026 at 4:26 PM
3.
boy they should fire whoevers idea it was
— Corey They Them Brickley (@coreybrickley.bsky.social) March 18, 2026 at 4:53 PM
4.
15 people really going to be upset
— Mind Goblin (@slartibartfast34.bsky.social) March 18, 2026 at 4:35 PM
5.
Should have used a screen from the metaverse instead of an actual photo of Zuck
— Steven W. Hunt (@ninjinister.bsky.social) March 18, 2026 at 4:31 PM
6.
We could fix world hunger with the billions of those idiots wasted on this nonsense.
— RaphJ (@oim.rjo.name) March 18, 2026 at 7:12 PM
7.
If you’re a Quest user PLEASE log out of Meta Horizon Worlds before June 15 or you’ll be trapped in there forever
— pixelatedboat aka “mr bluesky” (@pixelatedboat.bsky.social) March 17, 2026 at 9:52 PM
8.
I am awaiting Meta rebranding itself Artificial so we can watch this same stupidity once again.
— Rami Ismail (رامي) (@ramiismail.com) March 18, 2026 at 4:52 PM
9.
Zuck blew it by not following my advice for Meta, which was: legs ONLY, no torsos arms or heads needed.
— Bill Corbett (@billcorbett.bsky.social) March 18, 2026 at 4:58 PM
10.
Now shut down everything else you do, Meta, you cowards!
— Chris Steller (@chrissteller.bsky.social) March 18, 2026 at 4:20 PM
11.
They need to stop acquiring companies and technology they can't operate.
— Zac Trolley (@zactrolley.com) March 18, 2026 at 5:16 PM