Facebook will stop accepting new apps this December as the company refocuses its efforts on 6DoF VR.
Welp, we knew this day would come eventually. Earlier today, Facebook announced that they will no longer be accepting new game and app submissions for the Oculus Go as they begin to shift their efforts away from 3DoF VR in search of greener pastures, namely the Oculus Quest.
According to an official statement released by the Oculus Developer Success Team, beginning December 4th the company will no longer be accepting new Go apps or app updates to the Oculus Store. On December 16th, the company will cease publishing new content entirely. Users will still have the opportunity to download and play existing games and apps, though without the ability to introduce new content or important software updates, this will effectively mark the end of the standalone 3DoF headset.
As Facebook shifts its focus to the Oculus Quest, the company hopes to expand its existing content catalog by offering an alternative to its heavily curated submission process. While not a lot of details are available at the moment, Facebook claims this new channel will exist separately from the official Oculus Store and serve as a place for developers to share their work with other users before submitting it officially.
Up until now, SideQuest has been the go-to solution for developers looking to share games and apps deemed unfit for the Oculus Store. Since its initial launch back in May of 2019, the software has blossomed into a full-fledged platform complete with its own award ceremony and dedicated user-base. It’ll be interesting to see how today’s announcement will impact the future of the popular third-party platform.
“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 via a concept document 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.”
In addition to this new “test channel,” Facebook will also be offering a dedicated business channel designed specifically for developers and ISVs working alongside Oculus for Business enterprise customers.
Additional resources regarding today’s announcements can be found here:
- Update your Oculus Go app for The Quest or Rift Platform
- Develop for Oculus Quest
- Develop with Oculus Rift
- Learn more about and apply for our 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.”
Image Credit: Facebook / Oculus
The post Facebook Discontinues Oculus Go, Will Allow Even More Apps On Quest appeared first on VRScout.
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