Meta’s string of VR acquisitions has hit a snag, as the Federal Trade Commission today announced it wants to block the Facebook parent company and CEO Mark Zuckerberg from acquiring Within, the maker of the VR fitness app Supernatural.
The regulator accused the company of “trying to buy its way to the top” rather than compete, noting that it has acquired its way into a prominent position in the VR field, from its original purchase of Oculus in 2014 through a spate of recent pick-ups including Beat Games and its hit Beat Saber title.
A Meta spokesperson responded to the news, saying, “The FTC’s case is based on ideology and speculation, not evidence. The idea that this acquisition would lead to anticompetitive outcomes in a dynamic space with as much entry and growth as online and connected fitness is simply not credible.”
