Meta recently announced the end of support for Quest 1 for Population: One, a popular virtual reality battle-royale shooter. BigBox VR, Meta’s developer of the game, shared an update on its blog. There, they noted that Quest 1 owners will no longer be able to launch and play the game starting Oct. 31, 2022.
“We are building BIG POP1 experiences that will push the boundaries of multiplayer VR,” BigBox VR says. In other words, the shutdown is necessary for them so that the company can focus on developing new features. However, Quest 1 players can still technically play the game if they have a VR-enabled PC. The game supports cross-buy, making the PC version available through Air Link and Oculus Link. Players using Quest 2, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Rift S will still have access to the game.
Although Meta is offering Quest 1 owners a refund for Population: One, there is a catch. To get a refund, you must have purchased the game from the Quest Store within the last six months. This policy seems a bit unfair for a game that came out on Quest almost two years ago. As such, many gamers will likely be left with a game they can’t even play. Of course, gamers can always upgrade to Quest 2 for $399.99 or use Air/Oculus Link, though that requires an expensive VR-enabled PC.
The closing of Population: One also raises the question of whether other developers will soon stop supporting the three-year-old version of Quest 1. Although Meta declined to comment further when asked if other games would stop supporting Quest 1 shortly.
Of course, games can’t support all old systems forever. But the price increase, and the announcement that Quest 1 owners will soon have one less game to play, could make users and gamers angry. Most likely Meta is taking such steps to stop the losses its VR division reported in the first and second quarters of 2022.
