New ‘Gorilla Tag’ Mode & $2.6M Investment in ‘Digigods’ Highlight UGC’s Importance in Social VR

One of the most popular virtual reality experiences out there, Gorilla Tag, is making waves by rolling out a level creation mode that was once just a test. This permanent feature, dubbed ‘Monke Blocks,’ lets players team up with friends to build levels and then dive right into their creations together. Simultaneously, the creators of an emerging social VR game, Digigods, have just secured a hefty $2.6 million investment. These developments highlight the growing importance of user-generated content (UGC) in the thriving world of social VR games.

Social VR environments like VRChat, Rec Room, Roblox, and Horizon Worlds have all carved out significant spaces in the virtual landscape, each sharing a common trait: user-generated content. It seems the mantra "friends who build together, stick together" holds true in these realms.

At a glance, Gorilla Tag might appear as a straightforward multiplayer game rather than a full-fledged social VR platform. However, its easy-to-access multiplayer design, which allows players to seamlessly jump between different game rooms, along with its open-ended gameplay, turns it into more of a virtual meeting spot and adventure ground alike.

With the ‘Monke Blocks’ addition now a permanent fixture, Gorilla Tag further entrenches itself in the social VR space, offering players the power to build and explore their very own creations with their friends.

Using a block-based system, gamers can snap pieces together to craft new levels, then they can literally shrink themselves to navigate their new environments just as they would normally play Gorilla Tag. It’s quite a sight to see some players busily building while others, now miniaturized, explore the growing structure at the same time.

To make the most of this new feature, players can buy different sets of blocks to alter the appearance of their levels through Gorilla Tag’s premium currency, ‘Shiny Rocks.’ The first set available is medieval-themed, featuring castle pieces priced at 6,000 Shiny Rocks, roughly around $30.

This innovative ‘build and play’ concept exemplifies user-generated content’s significant role in the success of both established and up-and-coming social VR games.

Looking forward, Another Axiom, the studio behind Gorilla Tag, plans to incorporate similar elements in their upcoming title Orion Drift. In this new experience, players will be unleashed into a massive play area where they can decide how to interact, setting their own mini-games and rules inside it.

Earlier this year, we noted the user-generated content-focused game Yeeps had reached a staggering 360,000 monthly active users. Just recently, Squido Studio, the developer behind Digigods, netted a $3 million seed funding round led by Triptyq Capital, which included backing from Grishin Robotics, FJ Labs, Hartmann Capital, Fairway Capital, Earthling VC, and the Canada Media Fund, according to VentureBeat.

Digigods hit the virtual shelves in April 2024 and has been making a splash with its UGC-centered design, attracting 100,000 unique players already, reports VentureBeat. Plus, it’s racked up over 10,600 user reviews averaging an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars—quite a coup among Quest platform games. Though it’s still in Early Access, its momentum suggests it could capture even more attention with a full release.

While UGC is the backbone of today’s standout social VR platforms, there’s another notable trend setting the old guard apart from the newbies: how players get around.

Older games like Rec Room, VRChat, and Horizon Worlds rely on conventional movement methods like thumbstick or teleportation. In contrast, the newer wave—Orion Drift, Yeeps, and Digigods—favor arm-based locomotion, a style ushered in by Gorilla Tag. Thus, Gorilla Tag stands as the benchmark between the two eras of social VR games.

This shift in movement methods isn’t just technical; it also appears to align with shifts in player demographics. The newer generation, favoring arm-based locomotion, seems to attract more Gen Z users, leaving older movement styles to appeal more to millennials and beyond.