At a Glance
- Meta has laid off more than 1,000 workers across its VR and metaverse divisions
- Popular VR fitness app Supernatural is losing most of its staff and will no longer add new content
- Users face a monthly fee for a static library of 3,000+ workouts
- Why it matters: Dedicated fans lose the coaches and community that kept them exercising in rural areas during lockdowns
Meta is slashing its virtual-reality ambitions. On Tuesday the company cut over 1,000 positions and shut down three internal VR studios. The fitness service Supernatural, which Meta fought the US government to acquire in 2022, is now running on a skeleton crew.
A Community Left Behind
Tencia Benavidez started sweating inside Supernatural’s digital gym five years ago. Snow piles up fast around her New Mexico home, and the nearest gym sits miles away. The app’s coaches felt like friends, not drill sergeants.
“They seem like really authentic individuals that were not talking down to you,” she says. “There’s just something really special about those coaches.”
Meta’s 2022 purchase of Supernatural triggered a fierce antitrust lawsuit. The FTC argued the deal let Meta “buy its way to the top” of VR fitness. Courts sided with Meta. Benavidez hoped the new funding would keep the workouts coming.
“Meta fought the government to buy this thing,” she says. “All that just for them to shut it down? What was the point?”
The Price of a Static Library
Supernatural subscribers now pay the same monthly fee for zero new workouts. The catalog holds 3,000 lessons, but music licenses could expire. Users debate whether to stay or cancel.
“If it was a bottom-line thing, I think they could have charged more money,” says Goff Johnson. “I think people would have paid for it. This just seems unnecessarily heartless.”
Chip, another subscriber, plans to leave. “The library is large, so there’s enough to keep you busy, but not for the same price.”
Alternatives exist-FitXR, Beat Saber-but veterans say the magic is gone.
“It’s not the app. It’s the community, and it’s the coaches that we really, really care about,” says Bay Area accountant Stefanie Wong, who has attended real-world meetups organized through the app.
One Last Workout
A day after the layoffs, three strangers met inside Supernatural’s Together mode. They punched glowing orbs to an all-Imagine Dragons playlist while coach Dwana Olsen’s voice piped in between songs.
“Take advantage of these moments,” Olsen urged. “Use these movements to remind you of how much awesome life you have yet to live.”
Sweat dripped inside headsets. Controllers clacked. Between rounds the trio high-fived like old gym buddies.
“Beautiful,” Alisa said. “It’s just beautiful, isn’t it?”
Meta did not respond to requests for comment from News Of Fort Worth.
Key Takeaways
- Meta’s VR division loses 1,000+ jobs in a single day
- Supernatural will coast on existing content; no new workouts planned
- Rural subscribers lose a lifeline that kept them active through brutal winters
- The app’s 3,000-workout library may shrink if music deals lapse
