Meta to let Horizon Worlds creators sell virtual items

Image: Meta

Meta is testing new features to let creators make money within the company's social metaverse platform, which is soon coming to mobile phones and possibly game consoles.

In the worlds they create for others to explore, the creators of Horizon will be able to sell virtual items and effects. According to Meaghan Fitzgerald, the product marketing director for the company, creators can sell everything from access to a section of their world to virtual items like jewelry or a basketball. Participants in the US will be able to earn money from a $10 million creator fund set up by Meta.

Meta is following in the footsteps of other 3D social platforms like Roblox and Rec Room, which allow creators to sell items that they make. This model has been used to build a huge business by Roblox, while Rec Room is growing quickly.

Image: Meta

Meta will be taking a cut of what creators sell, though it's not clear what that take can be. Meta is taking a 25 percent cut of the percentage that is left after a platform fee. The creator will be left with a little over half of the sale price if the platform has a 30 percent fee.

The other platforms are believed to be a competitive rate in the market.

While the focus is on monetization for creators now, ads may be the only advertising available beyond a recent Wendy's-themed world.

The goal oriented bonus program that Meta is rolling out encourages creators to use its tools and build out their worlds. The bonuses will be paid in full. They are determined by the engagement a creator's world receives.

In-world purchases and creator bonuses will be required to abide by the company's banned content policy. Fitzgerald says that creators who don't follow the rules will be kicked out of the program.

The company has publicly announced that 10,000 worlds have been created, and that it hit 300,000 monthly users in the first few months of availability. Meta didn't have an update on usage numbers, but they did have plans for expansion. The company is in early discussions about being on game consoles, and is planning to bring the game to mobile phones later this year.