Facebook’s initial rollout of ads in virtual reality apps hasn’t even begun in earnest, yet we’re already seeing the company’s head of AR and VR adopt a defensive stance. Facebook needs to face up to the reality that if it wants to put ads in games that people have paid for, they’ll have to cope with a backlash.
To recap, Facebook announced in June plans to start testing VR ads, beginning with a trial run in the multiplayer game Blaston, which costs $10. The news sparked such pushback that Facebook relented and instead will try the ads in a free VR game. All good, so far. But then last Thursday evening, Facebook Reality Labs VP Andrew Bosworth hit back with some criticisms of the critics—but with a somewhat flawed argument.
