Microsoft switches Metaverse focus from social to business

Microsoft-owned social VR platform AltspaceVR will be shutting down on March 10, and the team will instead shift its focus to the business-oriented Microsoft Mesh (MM).

AltspaceVR shuts down for the second time

Altspace VR was founded by Facebook Reality Labs social experience dproduct supervisor Eric Romo in 2013.

A few years later, a general downturn in the VR market led to the collapse of a funding deal, and the company announced that it would cease operations due to lack of funds. This prompted Microsoft to swoop in to acquire his struggling company in 2017 for an undisclosed amount.

At the time, many said this was a strategic acquisition to compete with Facebook as the social media giant geared up to develop VR.

However, AltspaceVR is slated to shut down for the second time in a message from the team that there are better opportunities for the business sector rather than retail consumers. With that, they still intend to build an “immersive experience in the metaverse” but for business users under the MM banner. The company said:

We believe there is an opportunity for VR to expand beyond consumers into businesses, and we have an even bigger goal of a more open, accessible, and secure version of immersive experiences in the metaverse. increase.”

Existing users and developers will have to host the final event and download the saved content, he added.

microsoft mesh

MM launched in November 2021 with the goal of “making collaboration on the Metaverse personal and fun.”

Riding the shift to working from home, Microsoft saw an opportunity to bring the real-life office, such as “chance encounters,” facial expressions, and body language into virtual world settings.

They miss hallway moments, catch-ups in the kitchen, chance encounters. They miss the say-nothing body language emanating from across the boardroom table.

MM works as part of the Microsoft Teams business communication platform with built-in team collaboration features such as video conferencing and chat. MM enables business users to experience mixed reality applications.