Meta Kills Off Oculus Brand - Facebook's VR Rebrand

Meta Rebrand: Oculus to be Discontinued

During the Connect event, centered around augmented and virtual reality, Mark Zuckerberg revealed that despite a corporate name alteration, Meta’s core objectives will persist. Existing brands under the Meta umbrella will not undergo changes.

Zuckerberg stated, “To accurately represent our identity and future aspirations, I’m pleased to announce that, effective immediately, our company will be known as Meta. Our fundamental mission – connecting people – remains unchanged. Our applications and brands will retain their current names.”

Oculus Brand Sunset

However, this initial statement proved to be inaccurate. Andrew Bosworth, soon to assume the role of CTO, clarified in a subsequent Facebook post that the Oculus brand would be phased out as part of the rebranding initiative.

The Oculus name was notably absent from today’s presentations. Features previously identified as the Oculus Store were consistently referenced as the Quest Store.

Bosworth explained that the transition to rename the Oculus app to the Meta app, and the Oculus Quest to the Meta Quest, will commence in early 2022.

“A considerable degree of loyalty exists towards the Oculus brand, and this decision was not taken lightly,” Bosworth communicated. “Although the name is being retired, I can confirm that the foundational vision of Oculus will continue to be central to Meta’s efforts in promoting widespread VR adoption.”

Acquisition History

Facebook acquired Oculus VR in 2014.

The shift signifies a broader strategic move for the company, now Meta, to focus on the metaverse and related technologies.