Gorilla Tag, one of the standout hits in the VR space, is taking a big step forward by permanently adding a level creation mode that had previously been tested. In this mode, humorously dubbed ‘Monke Blocks,’ friends can team up to construct their own unique environments and then dive into playing within these collaboratively built worlds. Meanwhile, the developers of the emerging social VR game Digigods have recently attracted a hefty $2.6 million investment. These moves highlight just how crucial user-generated content (UGC) has become in the realm of social VR gaming.
Games like VRChat, Rec Room, Roblox, and Horizon Worlds are prime examples of social VR platforms that have gained significant traction. The key commonality between these games? They all embrace user-generated content. Evidently, creating together can be a solid glue for social bonds in the VR space.
Gorilla Tag might initially strike an observer as a straightforward multiplayer game rather than a social VR experience, but it offers much more. Thanks to its flexible multiplayer setup, where players can easily drift from one room to another, along with its open-playing style, Gorilla Tag serves as a social space and playground as much as it’s a game.
And now, with ‘Monke Blocks’ being a permanent addition, Gorilla Tag is diving even deeper into social VR territory. This feature empowers players to build and explore their own digital domains within the game, enhancing the social and creative aspect of playing.
The game lets players use a block-based system to snap pieces together, constructing new levels. While some are busy building, others can shrink down to navigate through the lively creations, experiencing a fresh dimension of the game.
To capitalize on this new mode, there’s an opportunity for players to buy additional block sets with Gorilla Tag’s in-game currency, ‘Shiny Rocks.’ The initial offering is a medieval castle-themed bundle, available for 6,000 Shiny Rocks, roughly equivalent to $30.
This user-driven creation and interaction model, known as UGC, has firmly anchored itself as an essential ingredient for successful social VR games across the board.
Another Axiom, the studio behind Gorilla Tag, is looking to channel this success into their upcoming title, Orion Drift. The game will invite players into expansive environments where they’ll have the freedom to choose their adventures and even devise their mini-games and rules as their imaginations see fit.
Earlier this year, we discovered that Yeeps, a game heavily leaning on UGC, had hit a milestone of 360,000 monthly active users. Meanwhile, Squido Studio, which develops another UGC-focused game called Digigods, just secured a $3 million seed round led by Triptyq Capital, with a roster of investors including Grishin Robotics and others participating, as reported by VentureBeat.
Launched in April 2024, Digigods has quickly pulled in 100,000 unique players, showcasing the powerful draw of its UGC-focused design. The game boasts over 10,600 user reviews, averaging an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars, which is quite the accomplishment on the Quest platform. Still in Early Access, the game seems poised for even more growth as it gets closer to full release.
It’s clear that UGC remains a defining feature across the most successful social VR games, yet there’s a distinct split concerning player movement methods between older and newer games.
Earlier titles like Rec Room, VRChat, and Horizon Worlds rely on traditional thumbstick or teleportation movement. On the other hand, the newer wave of games—Orion Drift, Yeeps, and Digigods—incorporates the arm-swinging movement style popularized by Gorilla Tag. This makes Gorilla Tag a key point of evolution between old-school and new-school VR experiences.
Interestingly, this contrast in movement styles also corresponds with differing player demographics. The newer games, with their more dynamic arm-based locomotion, seem to attract a predominantly Gen Z crowd, while the older game demographic skews more toward millennials and beyond.
