Meta launches Horizon Create and Horizon Studio to build games with AI prompts
Meta announced two new development tools for its Horizon social platform that let people create video games using AI prompts. Horizon Create is a mobile app, while Horizon Studio is a browser-based app offering more granular controls; both are launching in early access, with interested users able to sign up for a waitlist. Meta says both tools let creators turn any idea into a complete 2D or 3D mobile game, complete with progression systems, balanced difficulty, art direction and multiplayer, and then refine every element to their standards. To give the resulting games more reach on a platform that has struggled to gain traction, Meta will let published games made with Horizon Create and Horizon Studio get recommended on Facebook and Instagram, where they will also be directly playable. According to Meta, someone scrolling through Instagram will be able to tap a clip of a game and join a multiplayer session within seconds, without downloading an app or being redirected elsewhere; the company says a game will live natively in the feeds where people already discover content and connect with friends. Meta says games that are engaging, stable, culturally relevant and keep players coming back will get more reach. The announcement follows Horizon's pivot from a VR-first app to a primary focus on mobile, and comes as Roblox, a similar but vastly more popular platform, is also pushing into AI-powered development, including a mobile app feature that similarly lets users generate games from a prompt. Roblox has 123 million daily active users; Horizon, by contrast, was reported by The Verge in early 2022 to have around 300,000 monthly users, and Meta has not disclosed a more current figure.
Key facts
- Meta unveiled Horizon Create (mobile app) and Horizon Studio (browser app with more granular controls), both letting users build games via AI prompts
- Both tools are launching in early access with a signup waitlist; no release date or pricing was given
- Games made with the tools can be recommended and played directly inside Facebook and Instagram feeds, without downloading a separate app
- Meta says the tools can produce a complete 2D or 3D mobile game with progression systems, art direction and multiplayer, which creators can then refine
- The move comes as Roblox, with 123 million daily active users versus Horizon's roughly 300,000 monthly users reported in early 2022, pushes its own AI game-generation feature
Why it matters
Horizon has never taken off as a platform, and Meta is betting that AI-assisted creation plus direct distribution inside Facebook and Instagram feeds, rather than a separate app download, can finally give it the volume of content and reach that rivals like Roblox already have.
Who it affects
It affects would-be game creators on Meta's platforms, who get AI tools to build 2D or 3D mobile games without traditional development skills, as well as Facebook and Instagram users, who may start seeing playable game clips recommended in their feeds.
How to use it
Horizon Create (mobile) and Horizon Studio (browser, with more granular controls) are both in early access; interested users can sign up for a waitlist, though Meta has not said when broader access or pricing will follow.
How solid is it
The account is based on Meta's own announcement and blog post, including its direct quotes about how the tools and distribution will work; the comparative user figures for Roblox and Horizon come from Roblox's reported daily active users and a Verge report from early 2022, not a current figure for Horizon.
Risks and caveats
Meta has not disclosed current user numbers for Horizon, nor pricing, monetization, or a firm public release date for either tool, and it is unclear how AI-generated games made this way will compare in quality or engagement to handcrafted titles or to Roblox's own AI-generation feature.
“Someone scrolling through Instagram can tap a clip of your game and be in a multiplayer session within seconds, without needing to download an app or being redirected.”
— Meta