Tencia Benavidez, a Supernatural user from New Mexico, began her VR workouts during the Covid pandemic and has stuck with it for five years. She finds VR workouts perfect since she lives in a rural area where getting to a gym or exercising outdoors in harsh winters can be challenging. Tencia appreciates the community aspect and the authenticity of Supernatural’s coaches. “They seem like really authentic individuals that are not talking down to you,” she shares. “There’s just something really special about those coaches.”
In 2022, Meta acquired Supernatural as part of its extensive investment in the metaverse. However, this acquisition sparked a lengthy legal battle, with the US Federal Trade Commission attempting to block the purchase over antitrust concerns, fearing Meta was “trying to buy its way to the top” of the VR market. Meta eventually won the fight. Some Supernatural users felt a mix of hope and skepticism, wishing that Meta’s deep pockets could sustain the platform. “Meta fought the government to buy this thing,” Tencia remarks. “All that just for them to shut it down? What was the point?”
I reached out to both Meta and Supernatural for comments, but neither responded.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that Meta has laid off over 1,000 employees in its VR and metaverse divisions, following years of significant financial losses on these projects. This round included cuts to most of Supernatural’s staff and the closure of three internal VR studios that created games like Resident Evil 4 and Deadpool VR. “If it was a bottom-line thing, I think they could have charged more money,” says Goff Johnson regarding Supernatural. “I think people would have paid for it. This just seems unnecessarily heartless.”
The community is divided on subscription choices; some users plan to stay while others are considering leaving. Although Supernatural offers over 3,000 lessons, concerns about future music licensing from popular artists loom large. “Supernatural is amazing, but I am canceling it because of this,” Chip shared. “The library is large, so there’s enough to keep you busy, but not for the same price.”
Other VR workout options exist, like FitXR and the well-known Beat Saber, which Supernatural draws design inspiration from. However, many users feel they don’t quite measure up. “I’m going to stick it out until they turn the lights out on us,” says Stefanie Wong, a Bay Area accountant who has been with Supernatural since shortly after the pandemic and has organized community meetups. “It’s not the app. It’s the community, and it’s the coaches that we really, really care about.”
The day after the layoffs, I tried Supernatural’s Together feature, where I met Chip and Alisa. We paused to catch our breath and discussed the impending changes. They recounted past sessions with hosts like Jane Fonda and various music playlists, while today’s session featured an entire lineup of Imagine Dragons songs.
As we punched away, Supernatural coach Dwana Olsen’s voice provided motivation. “Take advantage of these moments,” she encouraged us. “Use these movements to remind you of how much awesome life you have yet to live.” The experience felt invigorating yet bittersweet. After another round, panting and sweaty, Chip, Alisa, and I high-fived enthusiastically, gearing up for the next workout. “Beautiful,” Alisa said. “It’s just beautiful, isn’t it?”
