One of the standout successes in the realm of virtual reality, Gorilla Tag, is making waves by firmly anchoring a level creation mode into its gaming experience. Known as ‘Monke Blocks,’ this new feature invites players to band together and craft imaginative worlds, where they can later explore and play to their hearts’ content. This development mirrors a broader trend in the industry, as the creators behind the social VR game Digigods have secured a significant investment of $2.6 million. Together, these moves underline the growing significance of user-generated content, or UGC, as a cornerstone for thriving social VR platforms.
Games like VRChat, Rec Room, Roblox, and Horizon Worlds have all achieved considerable success, largely due to their embrace of UGC. Apparently, the adage of friends who create together staying together rings true in the digital world as well.
At first glance, Gorilla Tag may seem like just another multiplayer game rather than a social VR experience. However, its effortless multiplayer design, which allows players to transition seamlessly between lobbies, paired with its open-ended gameplay, has turned it into both a community hub and a game. Elevating its social dynamics further, Gorilla Tag’s permanent addition of ‘Monke Blocks’ empowers players to build and engage within their self-made worlds.
In this block-based system, players can snap pieces into place, constructing new arenas for others to join and explore. It’s possible for some players to remain life-sized while building, as others miniaturize themselves to navigate the evolving creation.
To enhance and monetize these building adventures, players can purchase new block sets using Gorilla Tag’s premium currency, ‘Shiny Rocks.’ The inaugural set boasts a medieval castle theme, priced at 6,000 SR, which translates to roughly $30.
User-generated content, or UGC, has emerged as a central element of successful social VR games. Another Axiom, the developers behind Gorilla Tag, are keenly aware of this trend. Their forthcoming project, Orion Drift, anticipates offering a vast virtual playground that enables players to craft their own games and set their own rules within.
Earlier this year, it was reported that the UGC-centric Yeeps had amassed an impressive 360,000 monthly players. This month, Squido Studio, the creators of another UGC-focused game, Digigods, attracted a $3 million seed investment from a consortium of investors including Triptyq Capital and Grishin Robotics, as detailed by VentureBeat.
Digigods made its debut in April 2024, and in a short time, its focus on user-generated content has captivated 100,000 unique players, with over 10,600 user reviews giving it a 4.8 out of 5-star rating—a noteworthy accomplishment on the Quest platform. Still in Early Access, the game is poised for rapid growth as it moves towards a full release.
While UGC is undoubtedly a unifying factor among leading social VR games, there’s a distinct evolution in how players navigate these virtual landscapes. Older titles like Rec Room, VRChat, and Horizon Worlds depend on traditional methods like thumbstick or teleport locomotion. In contrast, newer games such as Orion Drift, Yeeps, and Digigods, leverage arm-based locomotion popularized by Gorilla Tag, setting it apart as the bridge between classic and modern social VR experiences.
Interestingly, this divide in locomotion styles also reflects a shift in player demographics. The newer generation with arm-based movement seems to attract a younger audience, skewing more towards Gen Z, as opposed to the millennial and older players of previous games.
