Meta is testing in-game purchases for Horizon Worlds

What you need to know

• Horizon Worlds is Meta's social space platform available on Quest 2 virtual reality headsets.
• Meta will be testing in-world monetization with a handful of creators, allowing them to sell virtual items.
• The company is also testing a bonus program for creators.

Meta announced today it will be testing in-game monetization for its Horizon Worlds gaming and social platform alongside a bonus program for creators. 

The test will include "a handful of creators" that will be allowed to sell virtual items and effects in their worlds. Examples include attachable accessories for avatars or paid access to a new part of the individual world. The "in-world purchases" would be similar to how other social platform Roblox operates with creators making and selling their own virtual items.

According to The Verge, Meta will be taking a 25 percent cut of every Horizon purchase from items that creators make after the platform fee. Horizon Worlds is currently only available on Quest 2 headsets, but could be coming to mobile phones and game consoles. For example on iOS, Meta would be taking 25 percent of an item sold after Apple's 30 percent cut, leaving the creator with a little over half of profit on the sale.

Meta will also be testing a "Horizon Worlds Creator Bonus program" that is only available for participants in the U.S. The bonuses will be paid out in "goal-oriented monthly programs" at the end of each month and not subject to fees. The company said it could evolve the goals over time, such as encouraging creators to adopt new tools or features. Meta had introduced a $10 million Horizon Creators Fund last October to incentivize and pay creators for making engaging worlds.

Horizon Worlds launched late last year, and the app had amassed 300,000 active users each month and over 10,000 worlds created in the first few months. The statistic would include both Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues, which focuses more on live events like concerts and sports.