AC thVRsday
In his weekly column, Senior Android Content Producer Nick Sutrich delves into all things VR, from new hardware to new games, upcoming technologies, and more.
When Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook bought Oculus in 2014, the company billed VR as “a strong candidate to emerge as the next social media platform.” Seven years later, in 2021, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta in an attempt to become the de facto leader of the metaverse.
In the five years since then, a lot has changed at Meta, but one thing is clear: the first vision of VR as the next social platform is becoming a reality, even if the way to get there seems to be very different from what was expected.
Instead of an all-encompassing capital M Metaverse controlled by one company (à la “Ready Player One”), dozens of free-to-play games from small indie developers have taken root, serving as community domains for millions of Meta Quest players every month. Gorilla Tag started moving in February 2021, and no one at the time had any idea how it would revolutionize VR in just a few years.
“When we started our studio, we were making the wrong games,” said Spencer Cook, CEO of Continuum, the studio behind the popular Ug VR. The line came from a 2026 GDC panel where the studio helped explain what made Ug VR so successful and how VR is different from what everyone seems to think.
It’s a powerful example of how each media has its own draw, and how the same types of games that work on a TV-mounted console don’t work on a headset-mounted VR system.
Community first is how you win
For years, Meta and many VR-first developers have chased the idea of creating the next Grand Theft Auto, Mario, Uncharted, or Halo. Meta poured billions into game development, creating amazing titles worthy of 5-star reviews. It stacked up big names like Batman: Arkham Shadow, Marvel’s Deadpool, The Walking Dead, Assassin’s Creed Nexus, and many more, creating a powerful game library that any gamer should be envious of.
But it didn’t work, and no one really understood why. Instead, millions of VR players come back every day to play the first public games (by the developers’ own admission) for a simple experience without “polished mechanics” or “smart gameplay ideas”. It can feel bad if it doesn’t work properly.
Ironically, all the big VR games these days are following the advice Andrew Eiche laid out when I interviewed him a few years ago. Eiche is the CEO of Owlchemy Games, creator of classic VR games like Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator, and those games all follow the concept of letting you role play without letting exposure get in the way. In other words, you’re not playing in the shoes of Cal Kestis or Kay Vess to save the galaxy; you play in the middle yours shoes and character of your own creation.
In addition, the most successful VR games in 2026 are likely to be specifically designed to enable players to create and share content on the world’s most popular social media platforms. From YouTube Shorts to TikTok, these gaming videos are garnering millions of views and creating real success for the people who play them and have fun creating content. It’s an endless wheel of fun and success, and it keeps spawning more games like it.
For a few years, anything that looked or moved like Gorilla Tag was immediately labeled as a Gorilla Tag clone, but players learned that this label was simply a mistake. Titles like Yeeps, Scary Baboon, Wizherd, Digi Gods, and Ug VR all share the same mechanics as Gorilla Tag, but there is often a unique gameplay hook that separates these titles from the rest of the pack.
Last week, I spoke with Kyle Joyce, CEO of Enver Studios and creator of Scary Baboon, one of the most popular social VR games today. As you might expect from the name, this one uses the classic Gorilla Tag mechanics and popular art style of the PS1 era, but mixes it with the horror elements that fans of Five Nights at Freddy’s and Poppy Playtime have come to love.
Watch it open
The studio expanded Scary Baboon recently with a new co-op that allows players to work together to solve problems, fight monsters, and explore the world. The important thing here is that the players are not fighting; they work together to survive, and it is this concept that also gave rise to the “friendslop” genre.
So far, seven million people have installed Scary Baboon (that’s unique players, not installations), and Joyce told me that the retention rate is incredibly high. This follows the Ug VR GDC video I linked earlier, where Spencer Cook explained a 70% retention rate among the audience of the game. The latest Scary Ape update allows players to battle the monsters that haunt the halls. However, players should be smart with the use of weapons because monsters can become enraged and temporarily defeated if they are hit hard.
Scary Baboon’s recent updates have been so popular that the company was able to strike a deal for a “major, legacy IP” that will begin development this July. Joyce says their numbers have been on the rise in recent months, thanks to the success of both recent updates and the transition from a “frustrating PvP” to a friendly PvE experience.
“Our listeners prefer to play with their friends rather than play with them,” Joyce said. I understand this, as I find myself gravitating towards non-PvP experiences more. This is especially the case with free-to-play titles like Scary Baboon or Animal Company, both of which I play regularly with my son and have regular content updates to check out.
Joyce says his studio has focused on community feedback and allowing players to drive the game’s future, while also admitting they won’t be able to please everyone. Joyce said this is his focus and that’s why he started creating content for the game and participating in community events, helping other players feel involved in the game’s creation.
Unsurprisingly, the creators of Ug VR say “our success comes from knowing what makes our players happy and connecting with the community.” It is a a lot a different model to what has made games successful in the past, mainly because of the speed and buzz with which the public consumes and shares content.
It’s taken a solid decade of learning and growth, but it’s become clear that VR games do best when entertainment or role-playing is the core experience. Given the incredible growth rate of these types of games and the nature of many traditional games, it is clear that the success of VR will look different from what many thought at first, but players who embrace this change will find a unique, immersive experience that is truly different from what is available in any other video game environment.