Last week, Facebook began inviting users to participate in a closed alpha for Facebook Horizon. The social VR app was announced last year at OC6 and will see users participate in creating customizable worlds, expressive avatars and experiences.
The announcement in September came with the promise of a 2020 launch and a closed beta early this year. A screenshot on Reddit revealed that Facebook is now sending out invites to a private alpha for Facebook Horizon, with the closed beta presumably still to come in the following weeks or months.
A Reddit user posted a screenshot of an email they received from Facebook inviting them to an alpha for Facebook Horizon. The cut off period to accept the invitation was last Friday, with the alpha beginning later this month.
Facebook also noted that that participation in the alpha will require users to sign an NDA, as the alpha version of Horizon “is an early form and [Facebook] will keep making product improvements over the course of the month.”
We reached out to Facebook to confirm the alpha invitations and a Facebook spokesperson responded that Facebook is “conducting some early tests for Horizon, with more tests on the… horizon.”
The wording of the alpha email invite suggests a month-long testing period. Combined with the Facebook statement suggesting tests ‘on the horizon’, the closed beta promised at OC6 could begin sometime in April or soon after that.
Facebook Horizon is scheduled to launch for both Quest and Rift, with no set release dates for the full launch. Those who are interested in participating in the closed beta can still sign up online.
If you missed it, be sure to check out our hands-on with Facebook Horizon from OC6 last year.
