/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus image/supernatural.
According to a new report by The Information, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has opened an in-depth antitrust probe of Meta's plan to buy Supernatural.
The probe means that antitrust regulators are starting to scrutinize the company's interest in buying virtual reality companies, not just its traditional social media acquisitions. Josh Sisco of The Information claims that Meta's previous virtual reality acquisitions, including the studio behind Beat Saber, weren't probed by the government because the purchase prices were too small. The $400 million-plus Supernatural deal is being slowed down by regulators, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.
Meta is being sued by the FTC in a bid to get rid of the acquisitions ofInstagram andWhatsApp, but it is not clear what criteria the FTC is using to evaluate the deal. Meta has a majority market share thanks to the early success of its Quest 2 headset, according to third-party estimates. The FTC might eventually approve the Supernatural deal, but its decision to investigate signals that Meta may already be coming to an end.
