Earlier today, Facebook announced it was rebranding itself as Meta. When CEO Mark Zuckerberg first shared the news during the company's Connect event, it wasn't clear how broadly it planned to adopt the name across its product portfolio. But now we have a much better idea thanks to a Facebook post from incoming CTO Andrew "Boz" Bosworth. For one, Meta is retiring the Oculus brand.
Beginning in early 2022, the Oculus Quest will instead be known as the Meta Quest. Similarly, the Oculus App will be called Meta Quest App moving forward. According to Bosworth, the intention is "to make clear" to consumers Quest is a Meta product. "We all have a strong attachment to the Oculus brand, and this was a very difficult decision to make," Bosworth said. "While we’re retiring the name, I can assure you that the original Oculus vision remains deeply embedded in how Meta will continue to drive mass adoption for VR today."
As part of the rebranding, Meta is also backpedaling on its unpopular decision to require Facebook logins to use Oculus headsets. Bosworth said the company is working on new ways to allow people to log into the platform, and that will roll out sometime next year. "This is one of our highest priority areas of work internally," he added. Additionally, the name will filter to other products, including Facebook Portal. Moving forward, the company plans to call its smart display Meta Portal.
The possibility that the Oculus name would disappear is likely something fans have had in the back of their minds since Facebook acquired the company in 2014. For better and worse, the company that once existed is no more. It's now a cog in Meta's ambitions to create a metaverse.