Meta is letting the Supernatural team spin off into a new independent company called Supernatural Health. The new company will take over the VR fitness app later this year. Meta had previously announced it would stop adding new content to Supernatural, but users protested that decision. About five months later, Meta reversed course and agreed to the spin-off.
Meta Acquired Within In 2023 After Eight-Month Antitrust Battle
Meta fought an eight-month antitrust battle to acquire Within, the game studio that made Supernatural, in 2023. The deal was reportedly worth around $400 million, plus legal costs from fighting an FTC lawsuit. After all that effort, Meta laid off much of its VR team and announced it would stop adding new content just a few years later. Supernatural, a VR fitness game, had made working out feel fun and accessible.
Original Founders Lead Supernatural Health
“Supernatural is being reborn. Same coaches, same DNA, same obsession with making fitness feel like the best part of your day — now under a new, independent company we’re starting from the ground up,” Supernatural Health’s website says. The original founders are behind the new company.
Company Expresses Gratitude For Meta’s Support
“We’re grateful for the platform and resources Meta provided during a critical growth phase,” Supernatural Health wrote. “This transition reflects a shared belief that Supernatural’s community is best served by a focused, independent team. Meta has been supportive throughout.”
Users React With Emotion To The Reversal
One user wrote in the public Supernatural Facebook group: “Like so many of us I was so devastated when the coaches were let go and we were told our beloved Supernatural, while we loved it and it was great, would never get any better than it was. What we had was what we had. We all felt like it was purchased to kill. I am such a sap. Why am I tearing up?”
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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