The Next Chapter of Oculus Development and a New Quest Distribution Path, Coming in 2021

Today, we announced our plans to sunset Oculus Go as we focus on driving forward the future of VR with 6DOF platforms like Oculus Quest. As the technology has advanced rapidly since we launched Go, you’ve helped us prove out the value of positional tracking with the incredible experiences you’ve built for 6DOF VR, and we’re ready to double down on that. As such, we’ll no longer be accepting Oculus Go apps or app updates into the Store as of December 4, 2020 and we’ll no longer publish any Go apps after December 18, 2020 (though if you have a current Go app in the Store, people will still be able to download and use it). At the same time, today we’re sharing an early look at a new way for developers to distribute Quest apps starting next year.

We’ve set a high bar for content on Quest in order to build a platform where people have confidence in the quality of titles they’re buying, and developers know their investments have a strong chance of success. That strategy is working: In fact, we recently shared that people have spent more than $100M on Quest content and more than 10 titles have generated over $2M in revenue on Quest. As we build on this success moving forward, our Store curation process won’t be going away. But now that Quest has built a healthy and sustainable ecosystem, we’re ready to open a new avenue for VR development.

We’ve heard that many developers and enthusiasts have been looking for easier ways to build their businesses and distribute applications outside of the Oculus Store. That’s why we’re excited to share the news of this new distribution channel with all of you. In early 2021 we’ll offer a new way to distribute your work in the Quest ecosystem, allowing you to share your apps to anyone with a Quest, without having to be accepted into the Oculus Store and without sideloading. While we expect many developers will want to share their apps as broadly as possible, we also see this new channel as a way to test early-stage applications and distribute to specific users. The Oculus Platform policies will apply to all apps we distribute, and developers will still need to meet the obligations of our Oculus Content Policy. However, apps distributed through this new channel won’t be held to the same technical standards as official Oculus Store apps.

For developers and ISVs working with Oculus for Business customers, we’ll also be introducing a dedicated business channel, for the ability to distribute across headsets to existing enterprise customers. Together, we think both these channels will give developers greater flexibility and more options for managing their businesses.

While we don’t have many details to share beyond that yet, we’re conscious that development cycles take time—so we wanted to get this news out to the dev community as soon as possible, to help those currently building for Oculus Go to pivot and target Quest if they choose. If you’re working on a Go app that’s being submitted after December 4, 2020, consider targeting our new channel for Quest or releasing on Rift. Included below is a new resource for those looking to pivot to 6DOF. We’ve also included links to our Developing for Oculus Quest page with info on the initial concept approval and submission process for the Oculus Quest Store; Developing with Oculus Rift; and more on the Oculus for Business ISV program.

As we open this next chapter of Oculus development, we also thank the talented devs who built excellent games and experiences to delight Oculus Go users over the years, bringing the magic of VR to many people for the first time. You’ve helped move the VR industry forward and laid the foundation for the future. We’ll share more details on our new release channel later this year, so stay tuned. We hope you’ll continue with us on this journey.

Developer resources: