Oculus is being rebranded by its owners and will now be renamed Facebook Reality Labs. The branding shift was announced on Tech@Facebook, where the company revealed what this means for Oculus and the rest of its AR and VR divisions going forward. Today’s reveal comes less than one week after the tech giant let users know they’ll need to link a Facebook account to use future VR hardware.
The annual VR event Oculus Connect, which is now known as Facebook Connect, is set to take place virtually on Sept. 16. The company says the event will shed light on the future of Facebook Reality Labs.
The company clarified the reasoning for the rebrand, saying that the move will help “encompass the expansive work being done at Facebook as we build the next computing platform to help people feel more present with each other, even when we’re apart.” Additionally, “Much like Facebook’s recent corporate rebranding, our emphasis is on clarity — visually identifying us as a part of Facebook while looking toward the future of the next computing platform that puts people at the center.”
The company has been busy in the world of VR throughout the last decade. After purchasing Oculus in 2014 for $2.3 billion, the media giant began building its strategy into virtual reality gaming endeavors. Last year, reports emerged suggesting that the company was making VR titles in both the Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell universes, though nothing has come of that since. Later in 2019, Facebook announced the acquisition of Beat Saber developer Beat Games.
