Downpour Interactive has announced that Onward will be dropping support for the original Quest Quest after July 31, 2023.
Onward was released in July 2020 for the original Quest headset. Meta acquired Downpour Interactive, the studio behind the title, almost a year later. In May 2021, a Facebook comment from Mark Zuckerberg apparently confirmed that Downpour was working on Onward 2.
After July 31, Onward will no longer be playable on the original quest. Quest 1 players will be greeted with a message that their headset is no longer supported upon opening the game. Onward will continue to support PC VR, Quest 2, and Quest Pro devices.
Downpour Interactive says it made the decision so it could “focus [the studio’s] development effort. The studio says refunds will not be offered to owners of Onward on Quest 1 and that refunds are subject to Meta’s Content Refund Policy for Quest. The policy states that refunds will not be offered more than 14 days after a purchase, “unless otherwise required by applicable law”.
Downpour also states in an FAQ that “pLayers on Quest devices will need to redo loadouts, gun calibrations, and settings on any new device or when reinstalling the game.
This announcement follows similar announcements from Meta (and Meta-owned studios) detailing the end of support for the original Quest headset in games and other core services. Early last month, Meta announced that it would be cutting the original Quest from the built-in social features and not providing new feature updates. Last October, Meta-owned studio BigBox VR dropped Quest 1 support for Population: One, its VR battle royale game.
You can find more information in Downpour Interactive’s FAQ on Onward Ending Quest 1 support.