New ‘Gorilla Tag’ Mode and $2.6M Boost for ‘Digigods’ Highlight UGC as Key Social VR Element

Gorilla Tag, one of the most popular VR games, is making its level creation mode a permanent fixture. Known as ‘Monke Blocks,’ this feature allows friends to team up, build together, and interact within their shared virtual worlds. In a parallel stride, Digigods, a social VR game on the rise, just secured a hefty $2.6 million investment. These updates highlight how user-generated content (UGC) has become a cornerstone of thriving social VR environments.

Games like VRChat, Rec Room, Roblox, and Horizon Worlds have all gained substantial momentum, fueled considerably by UGC. The saying goes, “Friends who build together, stay together,” and it appears spot on in the VR space.

While Gorilla Tag might initially seem like just another straightforward multiplayer game, its seamless multiplayer aspect—which allows players to drift effortlessly from one lobby to another—paired with its lack of rigid rules, turned it into more than a game; it became a digital playground and hangout spot. Now, Gorilla Tag is diving deeper into social VR by making ‘Monke Blocks’ a permanent game mode, allowing participants to craft and relish their own creations.

The block-based system in Gorilla Tag lets players assemble new levels together, shrinking themselves down to navigate and explore these fresh landscapes just like any other Gorilla Tag round. Interestingly, while some participants focus on constructing the blocks, others might already be tiny and exploring the work in progress.

To monetize this feature, players will have the opportunity to buy new block sets using Gorilla Tag’s premium currency, ‘Shiny Rocks.’ The initial set will feature medieval castle-themed pieces and cost 6,000 SR, approximately $30.

This ‘build and play’ dynamic defines UGC, a vital element in the success of both established and emerging social VR games. Another Axiom, the studio behind Gorilla Tag, is working on a new game called Orion Drift. This game aims to provide a massive playground where players can shape their own mini-games and set their own rules.

Earlier this year, we mentioned that Yeeps, another UGC-focused game, attracted 360,000 monthly active users. Meanwhile, Digigods, developed by Squido Studio, recently raised a $3 million seed investment with contributions from industry giants like Triptyq Capital and Grishin Robotics, as reported by VentureBeat.

Since its launch in April 2024, Digigods has captivated 100,000 unique players and gathered over 10,600 user reviews with an impressive 4.8-star average on the Quest platform. Still in Early Access, it holds potential for rapid growth as it nears a full release.

While UGC ties together the most successful social VR games, there’s a noticeable evolution based on player movement styles. Older VR games like Rec Room and VRChat rely on traditional controls, while newer entries like Orion Drift and Digigods embrace arm-based locomotion, a method popularized by Gorilla Tag.

This shift in locomotion hints at a demographic shift as well. New-school VR games with arm-based navigation tend to attract more from Gen Z, distinguishing their player base from the millennials and older generations inherent to older VR titles. This innovative approach by Gorilla Tag has effectively set a new standard, marking a distinct division between the generations of social VR gaming.