Facebook’s annual F8 developers conference is the latest casualty of parent company Meta’s emphasis on the metaverse. (Adweek)
“Similar to years past, we are taking a brief break in programming and will not hold F8 in 2022 while we gear up on new initiatives that are all tailored towards the next chapter of the internet, and the next chapter of our company too: building the metaverse,” said Meta’s director of products and partnerships Diego Duarte Moreira in a blog post. (TechCrunch)
The move marks the second time in three years that the company has scrapped the event. It canceled the show in 2020 over pandemic concerns and then held it virtually in 2021. Previously, the F8 conference had given developers and businesses a chance to hear about Meta’s latest products and innovations. (Bloomberg)
In lieu of F8, Moreira pointed to Meta’s “inaugural business messaging event,” dubbed Conversations, which will take place on May 19. Moreira also said there will be another Connect event “later this year” focused on the company’s “VR, AR, and metaverse platform offerings.” (The Verge)