Retail Core

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  A man with a clipboard deciding on where to place retail shelfing units on a blue grid.

About Retail Core Inspiration

After developing Game Frame Core and Store Core, it became clear that retail experiences in Horizon Worlds scale in two directions: small boutique shops and massive, department-style stores. While Store Core provides the foundation for kiosks and smaller shops, creators also need a system designed for large-scale retail environments.

Retail Core was inspired by the layout and flow of real-world big box stores — spaces with multiple departments, aisles, and high customer traffic. The goal is to give creators the tools to build immersive, large-scale retail spaces without rebuilding the same systems over and over.

How We Built It

Core Systems: Modular scripts for managing aisles, departments, and navigation flow.

Functional Prefabs: Example checkout lanes and shelf modules that demonstrate the system.

Scaling Tools: Supports multiple departments (apparel, electronics, furniture, seasonal) under one framework.

Integration: Works seamlessly with Meta’s avatar item system, allowing large catalogs of items to be browsed and purchased.

What We Learned

Scale requires structure: big box stores are less about décor and more about flow — where players enter, how they navigate, and how they check out.

Performance must be carefully managed. A large retail environment can easily overload if not designed with efficiency in mind.

Just like in the real world, layout design is key to keeping visitors moving naturally through departments.

Challenges

Designing for both immersion and efficiency — creators want the “wow” factor, but systems have to remain lightweight.

Anticipating catalog growth — some stores may sell only ten items, while others may list hundreds.

Creating a framework that feels flexible enough to represent any big box brand without forcing one style.

The Goal

Retail Core is a framework for creators who want to build large, department-style shopping experiences. Whether it’s a sprawling furniture store, an electronics superstore, or a multi-floor mall anchor, Retail Core provides the backbone. By releasing it as a remixable framework, creators can focus on their products and presentation, not the underlying mechanics.

Built With

• editor
• horizons
• typescript