Supernatural VR Fitness Fans Furious After Meta Shuts It Down
▼ Summary
– Meta has shut down new content development for the popular VR fitness game Supernatural, devastating its dedicated user community.
– The game’s core users are often women, people over 50, and those with limited mobility, who found it an accessible and judgment-free way to exercise.
– Fans feel betrayed, arguing Meta mismanaged and neglected the app after acquiring it, degrading features and community support.
– The game fostered a tight-knit social community and provided significant mental and physical health benefits for its players.
– Users are campaigning to save Supernatural, but its future is uncertain as trust in Meta is shattered and music licenses may expire.
Imagine a virtual reality fitness community where the most dedicated members aren’t tech-savvy millennials, but individuals like Sherry Dickson. At 69, this retired teacher uses her Meta Quest headset nearly every day, not for gaming, but for her health. Her primary activity is Supernatural, a VR fitness application that blends rhythmic gameplay with immersive coaching in stunning virtual environments. For Dickson and a vast, passionate user base, this platform became far more than exercise; it was a vital source of community, accessibility, and joy. Now, with Meta’s decision to halt all new content development, that community is fighting back, heartbroken and furious over what they see as the careless destruction of something uniquely meaningful.
The announcement felt like a death knell. Supernatural operates on a subscription model that relies on fresh music, workouts, and coaching to keep users engaged. Cutting off that pipeline effectively sentences the app to a slow decline. This prompted Dickson to launch a social media campaign and a petition that has garnered thousands of signatures, begging Meta to reverse its decision. The backlash is fierce, rooted in the profound personal impact the app has had on its users.
The typical Supernatural enthusiast defies the stereotypical VR user. While the broader VR market skews young and male, this app found its strongest audience among women, people over 50, and those with varying mobility levels. For them, it offered a judgment-free zone to exercise. Inside the headset, users could squat, lunge, and swing to the beat in beautiful worlds, free from the self-consciousness of a gym. The game includes adaptive settings for wheelchair use, single-handed play, and adjustable difficulty, making it a rare haven for accessible fitness.
The sense of betrayal runs deep. Many users directly connect Meta’s acquisition of Within, Supernatural’s original studio, with the app’s decline. They report a noticeable drop in community engagement and new features post-acquisition. “When Meta said they were going to buy it, everyone was like, ‘Oh my god, kiss of death,'” recalls longtime user Jennifer Boyer. The personal connection to the app’s coaches intensifies the loss. These trainers shared personal stories and fostered genuine bonds, making their recent layoffs feel like losing family members. Coach Mindy Lai expressed her devastation on Instagram, stating the community “swallow[s] you with so much love.”
For countless individuals, Supernatural was a lifeline. More than 50 users shared stories of using the app to combat depression, recover from serious illnesses or injuries, and manage chronic conditions. Physical therapist Jeanna Duryee used it as a tool for patients in Alaska, fighting seasonal affective disorder and deconditioning. “I see people that say they hate exercise and hate gyms, but they love Supernatural,” she notes. This fervent devotion mirrors that of other connected fitness communities, but with a key difference: Peloton is an independent company focused solely on its platform, while Supernatural became a small piece of Meta’s vast and shifting portfolio.
The practical anxieties are mounting. Users fear that once music licenses expire, workouts will vanish from the library. While some are canceling subscriptions in protest, others, like Dickson, vow to use the app until it literally disappears. The search for alternatives has been frustrating, with most concluding there is nothing comparable on the market. Some, like user Pieter Montoulieu, are even attempting to build their own version for other platforms like the Apple Vision Pro, spurred by disillusionment with Meta.
Dickson’s campaign has a clear goal. At a minimum, she wants Meta to maintain the existing servers and library without removing content. Her ideal outcome is for an investor with vision to purchase the rights and restore Supernatural as an independent entity, potentially on a platform like Steam, guided by its original creative team. Through a spokesperson, Within cofounder Chris Milk declined to comment on the situation.
The mood across fan forums oscillates between anger, bargaining, and stubborn hope. Coaches continue to post encouraging messages, urging the community to keep working out together. Dickson herself remains defiant, drawing parallels to other public campaigns that forced corporate reversals. “I will not give up,” she insists. Whether public pressure can sway Meta’s strategic calculations is uncertain. For now, the community’s spirit is perhaps best captured by fan Sherer Minor: “I hope the app, in whatever form I can get it, never truly goes away. In the meantime, I’ll keep logging in and punching the air, because punching people is frowned upon.”
(Source: The Verge)
