Gorilla Tag, one of the standout hits in the VR scene, is embracing a new direction by permanently adding a level creation feature, previously in testing. Dubbed ‘Monke Blocks,’ this feature lets friends collaborate to craft, explore, and enjoy their unique virtual worlds together. Concurrently, the team behind the up-and-coming social VR experience, Digigods, has secured a hefty $2.6 million investment. These moves highlight just how crucial user-generated content (UGC) has become in shaping the future of social VR games.
Explore titles like VRChat, Rec Room, Roblox, and Horizon Worlds, and you’ll spot a pattern—they all thrive on UGC. It’s like the saying goes, “Friends who create together, stay together.”
At first glance, Gorilla Tag might seem like a basic multiplayer game rather than a social VR platform. However, its easy-to-access multiplayer setup, where players can hop from one room to another, has transformed it into a laid-back social hub as much as it is a game.
With the introduction of the ‘Monke Blocks’ mode, Gorilla Tag steps further into the social VR space, empowering players to build and explore their own creative landscapes.
Using a block-based system, players can snap pieces together to design new levels. While some players tackle the construction, others can shrink down and explore the in-progress creations, making it an interactive treat for everyone involved.
To make this feature sustainable, players can upgrade their building sets by purchasing specialized blocks using the in-game currency, ‘Shiny Rocks.’ The initial offering features medieval-themed pieces and is set at 6,000 SR (approximately $30).
This concept of ‘build and play,’ driven by user-generated content, is a cornerstone for engaging and successful social VR games, whether new or old.
Another Axiom, the studio behind Gorilla Tag, is eyeing similar heights with their upcoming project, Orion Drift. This game aims to provide players with a vast virtual space to explore freely, offering the tools to create their own mini-games and set unique rules.
In a related success story, Yeeps, a UGC-centric game we mentioned earlier this year, boasts 360,000 active users monthly. And this month, another up-and-comer, Digigods, secured significant funding, with a $3 million seed investment led by Triptyq Capital and other notable investors.
Launched in April 2024, Digigods has made waves with its focus on user-generated content, attracting 100,000 unique players and garnering over 10,600 positive user reviews, averaging a remarkable 4.8 out of 5 stars. While still in Early Access, it shows promising potential for rapid growth upon full release.
User-generated content isn’t just a trend; it’s the thread weaving together the most successful social VR games. However, there’s a noticeable split between older and newer games in terms of how players navigate these virtual worlds.
Older games like Rec Room, VRChat, and Horizon Worlds rely on traditional control schemes, using thumbsticks or teleportation. In contrast, newer titles such as Orion Drift, Yeeps, and Digigods embrace the arm-based locomotion popularized by Gorilla Tag. This evolution marks Gorilla Tag as the pivot point between traditional and modern social VR experiences.
Interestingly, this difference in navigation also seems to signal a shift in audience demographics. The newer, arm-intensive games appear to attract a younger Gen Z audience, while the older games resonate more with millennials and beyond.
