Andre Elijah filed a lawsuit alleging that Meta Platforms Inc canceled his virtual reality yoga app, AEI Fitness, just days before its launch at Meta Connect, the world’s largest VR conference. Elijah claims that the cancellation prevented his app from becoming the top VR fitness app and cost him potential earnings of tens of millions of dollars. He stated that Meta banned him from the conference and added his name to a blacklist of developers that the company refuses to do business with.
This lawsuit provides insight into the challenges faced by developers who align themselves with Meta’s ambitious foray into the metaverse. The company has faced pressure to sell more VR headsets after experiencing operating losses in its VR tech division. Limited app and content availability compared to mobile phones or computers has been a barrier to broader adoption of VR headsets.
Elijah believes that Meta’s retaliation is a response to his discussions with Apple Inc and ByteDance, as he intended to launch his app on their competing VR platforms. His antitrust complaint alleges that Meta conspired to kill his app to gain control over the VR headset and app distribution market.
Meta has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
Elijah is seeking $3.2 million in the short term and hundreds of millions of dollars more in lost revenue and damages. The VR fitness app market was valued at $16.4 billion last year and is expected to exceed $109 billion over the next seven years.
In addition to Meta, the lawsuit also names Mark Zuckerberg and Alo, a Beverly Hills fitness apparel and accessories company that Elijah intended to partner with, as defendants.
Developer lawsuits against platforms are uncommon due to the potential consequences of souring relationships with other companies. Elijah acknowledged the unexpected circumstances and expressed his continued struggle with the situation.
This legal action comes at a time when Apple prepares to release its competitive headset, the Apple Vision Pro, in the coming months. Although Meta has dominated the VR headset market for years, it may face significant competition from Apple.
This is not the first time Meta has faced accusations of attempting to dominate the VR fitness app market. The US Federal Trade Commission previously sought to block Meta’s acquisition of Within Unlimited Inc, the creator of the popular app Supernatural, citing concerns about limited competition. However, the agency abandoned its efforts this year after a federal judge in San Jose denied its request to halt the acquisition. – Bloomberg
Credit: The Star : Tech Feed
