In a statement, Meta said that the FTC's case is 'based on ideology and speculation, not evidence. And while Meta already has majority control of the multi-billion dollar market for VR headsets, the company is now working to become 'completely ubiquitous in killer apps,' as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg put it.

But the planned purchase of Within seems to be setting off antitrust alarm bells at the FTC because of the overlap with Beat Saber maker Beat Games, which Meta purchased in 2019.įurther Reading So what is “the metaverse,” exactly?The company's recent rebranding from Facebook to Meta reflects a company that has 'set its sights on building, and ultimately controlling, a VR metaverse,' the FTC writes ( whatever that means). Meta has been on something of a VR acquisition spree in the last two years, scooping up game developers including Sanzaru Games ( Asgard's Wrath), Ready at Dawn ( Lone Echo), Twisted Pixel ( Wilson's Heart), Downpour Interactive ( Onward), and BigBox VR ( Population: One). That proposed deal, according to the suit, 'would substantially lessen competition, or tend to create a monopoly, in the relevant market for VR dedicated fitness apps and the broader relevant market for VR fitness apps.' Cornering the VR fitness market? Meta's plans to spend a reported $400 million on Within have reportedly been under FTC scrutiny after the proposed acquisition was announced last October. The Federal Trade Commission has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Meta in an attempt to stop the Facebook parent company from purchasing Within, which makes the popular virtual reality fitness app Supernatural.

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