Meta’s ambitious push to define the future of the metaverse largely failed to deliver on its promises, with one notable exception: Supernatural, a VR fitness game that turned exercise into an engaging, game-like experience that users actually enjoyed. Now, instead of being shut down, the app is getting a second life.
Supernatural, which helped make VR workouts feel more accessible and even fun, will continue operating after Meta decided to spin it out rather than discontinue it.
The company had previously spent months in a high-profile antitrust battle to acquire Within, the studio behind Supernatural, in 2023. The deal was reportedly valued at around $400 million, not including the cost of defending the acquisition in court against an FTC lawsuit. Despite that major investment and legal effort, Meta later downsized much of its VR division and stopped producing new content for some of its immersive fitness initiatives just a few years afterward.
However, after user backlash and internal reconsideration, Meta appears to have reversed course in at least one case. Roughly five months later, the company has agreed to allow the Supernatural team to spin out into an independent company called Supernatural Health. The new entity will take over development and operations of the app later this year.
“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 said on its website.
Notably, the leadership behind Supernatural Health includes the original founders of the VR fitness app, signaling continuity in vision and direction despite the change in corporate structure.
The outcome is both a relief for users and a somewhat frustrating reflection of Meta’s shifting priorities. After heavily investing in the metaverse and aggressively pursuing acquisitions to build out its VR ecosystem, the company has since scaled back parts of its strategy, laying off portions of its VR workforce and shifting focus toward artificial intelligence and smart wearable devices.
The situation has drawn mixed reactions, with some users celebrating the survival of the app while others view the sequence of events as emblematic of broader instability in Big Tech’s long-term product commitments.
As Supernatural Health framed it, the transition is intended to better serve its community while maintaining continuity in experience and leadership. The company emphasized that Meta remained supportive of the spinout process despite stepping away from direct involvement.
“We’re grateful for the platform and resources Meta provided during a critical growth phase,” the company said. “This transition reflects a shared belief that Supernatural’s community is best served by a focused, independent team. Meta has been supportive throughout.”
Among users, the reaction has been emotional and relieved, especially after earlier fears that the app might be discontinued following internal restructuring at Meta.
“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,” one user wrote in the public Supernatural Facebook group. “I am such a sap. Why am I tearing up?”
For now, at least, Supernatural appears to have escaped the fate many VR projects have faced in the shifting landscape of Meta’s evolving metaverse ambitions.