After announcing an increase in the price of its Quest 2 headsets, Meta has also announced that it is discontinuing Quest 1 support for Population: One, a battle-royale shooter set in virtual reality.
The Meta-owned developer that created the game, BigBox VR shared the update in a blog post, stating that Quest 1 owners will no longer be able to launch or play the Quest game from October 31st, 2022.
VR games Population minus One…
According to BigBox VR, the shutdown was vital in order to focus on developing new experiences “that will push the boundaries of multiplayer VR.” Technically, Quest 1 players can still play the game if they have a VR-ready PC.
Due to its cross-buy support, the PC version is available via Air Link and Oculus Link, which should allow users to play Population: One by connecting their Quest 1 headset to their computer, be it wirelessly or with a wired connection. Players using the Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S and Quest 2 will still have access to the game.
And although Meta is offering a refund to Quest 1 owners for Population: One, T&C’s apply: you must have bought the game from the Quest store within the past six months. It’s sort of an unfair policy for a game that launched on the Quest almost two years ago, leaving many players with a game they can’t play unless they upgrade to the $399 Quest 2 or use Air/Oculus Link, which requires a VR-ready PC.
The first of many?
Shutting down Population: One has also raised questions on whether other developers will soon suspend support for the three-year-old Quest 1. In a conversation with The Verge, Caiti Sullivan, Meta spokesperson said that Meta is currently “working out the details of an ecosystem-wide end-of-support process,” and that “other developers who choose to end support for apps on Quest 1 will be able to do so.”
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
