Tencia Benavidez, a committed user of the Supernatural VR workout platform, began her virtual training sessions during the Covid pandemic. Residing in rural New Mexico, Benavidez found VR workouts to be the perfect solution for staying active, especially given the challenges of accessing a gym or exercising outdoors during harsh winters. She remained loyal to Supernatural for five years due to its supportive community and the coaches' genuine enthusiasm.
"They seem like really authentic individuals who weren’t talking down to you," Benavidez commented, highlighting the unique connection she felt with the Supernatural coaches.
Supernatural was acquired by Meta in 2022 during a phase when the company was heavily investing in the metaverse. However, this acquisition faced obstacles as the US Federal Trade Commission sought to block the deal, citing concerns over Meta's dominance in the VR market space. Despite these challenges, Meta succeeded in the purchase, sparking cautious optimism among Supernatural users hopeful that Meta's resources would sustain their beloved platform.
"Meta fought the government to buy this thing," reflected Benavidez. "All that just for them to shut it down? What was the point?"
Recent developments have cast doubt on Supernatural's prospects. On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that Meta has laid off over 1,000 employees across its VR and metaverse teams. The decision follows years of substantial financial losses from these initiatives. Alongside these layoffs, Meta has also closed three VR gaming studios responsible for titles like Resident Evil 4 and Deadpool VR.
"If it was a bottom-line thing, I think they could have charged more money," suggested Goff Johnson regarding the Supernatural platform. "I think people would have paid for it. This just seems unnecessarily heartless."
Attempts to reach Meta and Supernatural for comment were unsuccessful. This latest move marks a significant setback in Meta’s broader metaverse ambitions and raises questions about the future of once-thriving VR initiatives like Supernatural.