Meta Leverages AI to Scale Horizon User-Generated Content
AI-generated image · US National Wire
New prompt-based development tools aim to bypass traditional studio hurdles by integrating AI-generated games directly into Facebook and Instagram feeds.
Meta is attempting to solve the growth struggles of its Horizon platform by lowering the barrier to entry for game creation. As reported by The Verge, the company announced two new AI-powered development tools: Horizon Create, a mobile application, and Horizon Studio, a browser-based app providing more granular controls.
These tools allow creators to use AI prompts to build complete 2D or 3D mobile games. According to Meta, the systems can generate art direction, multiplayer capabilities, balanced difficulty, and progression systems. This shift toward AI-driven user-generated content (UGC) follows a broader pivot for Horizon, which originally launched as a VR app but is now focusing primarily on mobile.
To ensure these AI-generated experiences find an audience, Meta is integrating them directly into its existing social ecosystem. Games created via Horizon Create and Horizon Studio will be playable and recommendable on Instagram and Facebook. Meta states that users scrolling through Instagram can enter a multiplayer session via a clip without needing to download a separate app. The company noted that games which are stable, engaging, and culturally relevant will receive increased reach.
This move puts Meta in direct competition with Roblox, which The Verge notes is also pushing AI-powered development through its own mobile app. The scale of the two platforms remains vastly different; while Roblox has 123 million daily active users, The Verge reported in early 2022 that Horizon had reached 300,000 monthly users.