When you picture a virtual reality headset user, you\u2019re probably not picturing someone like Sherry Dickson. At 69, the snowy-haired, retired elementary school teacher hops into her Meta Quest headset five days a week, for roughly 60 to 90 minutes at a time. She\u2019s not attending live concerts or watching immersive films. Dickson, a fitness buff since Jane Fonda workout videos in the \u201980s, largely uses her headset for one reason \u2014 to play Supernatural<\/em>, a VR fitness game with a huge, loyal fan base and a tight-knit community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Supernatural<\/em> isn\u2019t dead, but it might as well be. A few weeks ago, Meta shut down three VR studios as part of broader layoffs in its Reality Labs division. As a result, Supernatural<\/em> will no longer get new content. That\u2019s why Dickson is spearheading an online social media campaign to save Supernatural<\/em> from slowly fading into oblivion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Supernatural<\/em> is a mix between a Peloton class and rhythm games like Just Dance<\/em> or Beat Saber<\/em>. You swat at targets as they fly toward you, timed to music, inside a picturesque virtual world. You can choose from a library of dance-like Flow workouts, boxing, or even meditative breathing classes. Like any connected fitness game, Supernatural<\/em>\u2019s stickiness relies on an ever-evolving content library. New music, levels, and choreography keep people hooked because they not only keep things fresh, but strengthen the bond between users and the game\u2019s charismatic coaches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMark Zuckerberg helped buy a ballroom for a fascist. Perhaps it is not surprising that he killed Supernatural<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n For a game like Supernatural<\/em>, shutting down content production was a death knell that left Dickson and countless other Supernatural<\/em> fans blindsided with shock, then grief. The Supernatural<\/em> Facebook page has over 110,000 members, many of whom have written sprawling odes to the game. Over 7,000 and counting have also signed a Change.org petition, begging Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to rethink the decision.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Dickson is what your typical Supernatural<\/em> user looks like. In an emerging tech category with expensive hardware dominated by 18-to-34-year-old men, the majority of Supernatural<\/em>\u2019s warriors are women, people over 50, and folks with limited mobility. And in the weeks since the news, they\u2019re not staying quiet in their grief.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n They\u2019re pissed<\/em>, and they want Meta to know two things. Not only has the company royally screwed up, but they\u2019re also not letting Supernatural<\/em> go without a fight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMy opinion of Meta can be summed up as @*#&&1 $^!@ &^#%,\u201d Regina Lynn, a Supernatural<\/em> athlete in her 50s, tells me in an email. (Athlete is the term the Supernatural<\/em> community prefers.) Lynn has been playing for five years, roughly three to four times a week. \u201cMark Zuckerberg helped buy a ballroom for a fascist. Perhaps it is not surprising that he killed Supernatural<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lynn is one of several Supernatural<\/em> fans who reached out to The Verge <\/em>to say they see a correlation between what\u2019s going on in the world and how Meta has conducted business since acquiring Within, the studio behind the game. Unlike Meta, Within was an independent studio with roots in music videos, feature films, and creative projects. In a Decoder<\/em> interview, Within cofounder Chris Milk described building Supernatural<\/em> as \u201cmaking something that is meaningful to another human being\u201d \u2014 something more akin to immersive art than a means to solidify dominance in the VR market. That, in no small part, explains why some fans have reacted so viscerally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Supernatural<\/em> was widely considered a successful VR app before Meta ever entered the picture. In fact, when Meta announced it planned to buy it in 2021, the Federal Trade Commission launched a probe to try and block the acquisition \u2014 partly because Meta had already acquired Beat Saber<\/em>, a similar VR game, and Supernatural<\/em> threatened its dominance. It was also reported that Meta was keen to snap up the game before Apple, which was rumored to be interested in the game. The FTC probe ultimately failed, and the acquisition was completed in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis is just a small mirror of a huge problem in our society right now. The blunt way of saying it is those with the gold make the rules. This is what we\u2019re fighting on every single level globally right now,\u201d says Dickson. \u201cWe\u2019re fighting those with the money telling us how our lives will be lived, what we can access, what we can do, and what we can say. \u2026 Of course there are far bigger things to fight for right now, and I do. But if I don\u2019t take care of my health, my mental health, my physical body? I have nothing to give or fight with for the big causes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI despise Meta along with the oligarchs, the top one percent that continue to destroy our world and kill anything that brings joy and beauty of human experience and connection because their only goal is to make a profit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI despise Meta along with the oligarchs, the top one percent that continue to destroy our world and kill anything that brings joy and beauty of human experience and connection because their only goal is to make a profit,\u201d agrees DeeDee Henry, an avid Supernatural<\/em> athlete since 2020. Henry, who has participated in beta testing and user interviews for the app, says she finds it \u201coverwhelming\u201d to convey how much Supernatural<\/em>\u2019s community has impacted her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe have built a community of love and support with each other. We meet each other, we talk, and we form bonds.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Behind the anger is a community\u2019s palpable loss over the fact that they may lose the very thing that brought them together. To its diehard fans, Supernatural<\/em> was more than \u201cjust a game.\u201d It was a virtual place to prioritize health while making friends. Take Henry and Dickson. A year ago, the two were complete strangers. They were randomly paired together through Supernatural<\/em>\u2019s Together multiplayer feature, which enables joint workouts, supports voice chat, and allows players to create teams. A year later, Dickson and Henry have formed \u201cTeam Sunshine\u201d with Henry\u2019s 75-year-old mother, Darlene \u201cCookie\u201d Norman, and a fourth friend, Kelly Hines. The four women play five days a week but have yet to all meet in person, with Dickson living in Canada, Henry just outside Los Angeles, Norman in rural California, and Hines in Ohio.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n And it\u2019s not just making friends. Marginalized users say Supernatural<\/em> let them exercise without judgment. Inside the headset, they could lunge, squat, and swipe at targets just like anyone else. They didn\u2019t have to worry about being looked down on for not having six-pack abs, being older, working out in a wheelchair, or having a limited range of movement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Peruse the Supernatural<\/em> Facebook group, and you\u2019ll find hundreds of stories like this and more. More than 50 Supernatural<\/em> athletes reached out to The Verge<\/em> specifically to share how the game helped them through deep depression, bouts with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, as well as rehabilitation from serious injuries. Some have lost a significant amount of weight, while others say it\u2019s the only form of accessible fitness that keeps them engaged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThere was no intimidation of gym settings, no time required to drive there, no time limit on when or for how long I could jump in and sweat. Supernatural<\/em> is the only reason I bought my Quest 2 headset and is the only cardio exercise I do,\u201d says Vickie Bitter, another Supernatural<\/em> athlete in her 50s. \u201cIt is literally the only thing I use on it every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI can\u2019t move my ankle, I can\u2019t stand up on my toes or anything,\u201d says Jennifer Boyer, a longtime Supernatural<\/em> athlete who needs ankle-foot orthotics, a type of brace that goes from the bottom of the foot to the knee. For Boyer, maintaining core strength is a necessity while using the braces to prevent injury. Unfortunately, Boyer didn\u2019t like gyms because she felt self-conscious and found repetitive strength routines boring. As a result, she struggled to find a workout that would stick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Supernatural<\/em> appealed to Boyer because the choreography in the game\u2019s Flow workouts kept movements fresh. In these levels, different types of triangles fly toward users to signal whether they should squat or lean into side lunges. They\u2019re interspersed with teardrop-shaped balls pointed in different directions, signaling where they should swing their arms. Users with limb differences can also pick a wheelchair mode, choose single-handed play, or adjust settings to accommodate their mobility needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI hurt so much after the first day because I wouldn\u2019t stop playing. It was so much fun. You\u2019re doing squats and side lunges \u2014 I can\u2019t do traditional lunges where you step forward and drop a knee to the ground. But with Supernatural<\/em>, I love the Flow workouts because I feel more like I\u2019m dancing,\u201d Boyer explains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI introduce many of my patients to VR. I have a pretty high take rate, meaning that they like it and enjoy it as an intervention,\u201d says Jeanna Duryee, a physical therapist. \u201cIn Alaska, I\u2019m fighting depression, deconditioning, and seasonal [affective] disorder at a higher rate [than] in other areas. Supernatural<\/em> gave me a tool to use to get people that I never seen smile, smile broadly while<\/em> exercising. I see people that say they hate exercise and hate gyms, but they love Supernatural<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The fervent devotion among Supernatural<\/em> fans is reminiscent of another connected fitness platform: Peloton. Like Peloton users, Supernatural<\/em> athletes have to invest in niche hardware. But a major difference is that Peloton is an independent company whose sole purpose is maintaining and improving on a single platform. Meta may have invested (and lost) billions in VR and the metaverse over the years, but it\u2019s notably shifted gears toward its AI. And where Peloton fans love the company, Supernatural<\/em> fans strongly feel Meta fumbled a rising star.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Given the game\u2019s popularity and Meta\u2019s ambitions to dominate the VR market, one might think it\u2019d be a no-brainer to invest in Supernatural<\/em>. But according to Boyer, Dickson, and dozens of other Supernatural<\/em> fans, the decline in quality was undeniable once Meta acquired Supernatural<\/em>. Not just in terms of features, but also in community support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhen Meta said they were going to buy it, everyone was like, \u2018Oh my god, kiss of death.\u2019 It wasn\u2019t long after Meta bought it that they stopped having the extra features they said they would have,\u201d says Boyer, a longtime Supernatural<\/em> beta tester before and after Meta\u2019s acquisition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhen Meta said they were going to buy it, everyone was like, \u2018Oh my god, kiss of death.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Prior to the acquisition, Boyer says you could tune into video calls with Supernatural<\/em> coaches. While athletes couldn\u2019t speak to them directly, they could type in the chat and receive personalized shoutouts and responses. After the acquisition, those opportunities slowed down. Instead of directly hopping into chats with coaches, fans were limited to seeing videos and hoping the algorithm would surface their comments on coaches\u2019 posts. Boyer asserts that compared to the original owners, Meta never took an interest in getting feedback on new features either.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThere was a new workout every day, and then they started doing new workouts once a week. Then they fired all the user experience people who were managing, pulling together those fun things with the coaches. Then there were no more beta group chats,\u201d laments Boyer, noting that soon there were no new backdrops for the game. But for many vocal Supernatural<\/em> fans, the most painful part of Meta\u2019s neglect wasn\u2019t the slow decay of the platform or the lack of new content. The ultimate betrayal is how the company has treated the creative team behind the game, particularly the coaches. In nearly every interview, Supernatural<\/em> fans told The Verge<\/em> that the Supernatural<\/em> coaches\u2019 openness and vulnerability helped make the platform stand out among the competition. For them, the coaches weren\u2019t people inside the headset. They were friends and family.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t like when they cancel your favorite show, and you feel bad for everyone in the production and hope the actors get new roles. Instead, these were six people who I personally spent half an hour with almost every day for almost a year,\u201d says Erica Carter, speaking of the Supernatural<\/em> coaches. \u201cSo when they were laid off, when they posted videos trying to be strong and supportive, putting the community first \u2014 gosh, it hurts. I cried.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The love for the coaches isn\u2019t hyperbole. When coach Leanne Pendante\u2019s husband died, the entire community rallied around her with an outpouring of love and support. Now that the community is suffering, the coaches are returning the favor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cYes, I did get laid off and it was very difficult because (a) I wasn\u2019t expecting it and (b) this Supernatural<\/em> community, if you have not met them, they are incredible and they just swallow you with so much love and I just wanted to stay there forever,\u201d coach Mindy Lai shared on Instagram.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cApologies for not hopping on earlier in the week once all the news broke, but, you know, I got a family to provide for, so once everything happened I had to put my feet to the concrete and hit the streets and start making moves,\u201d says coach Antonio \u201cDoc\u201d Harrison in an Instagram post. \u201cI am so grateful, so honored and humbled to have been a small part of your journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThere have been a couple of times where I\u2019m like, \u2018I want to get in! I just want to get in and do a workout, a group workout, let\u2019s see who\u2019s in there.\u2019 And it\u2019s hard,\u201d coach Mark Harari says in a recently posted video, trying to motivate discouraged Supernatural<\/em> users to put their headsets back on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still here, okay? We haven\u2019t left. All the coaches, we\u2019re still here. \u2026 We\u2019re still a part of this community, we\u2019re here still to love, and support, and to raise up, and to stand by your side when things are tough.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When reached for comment, Meta declined to address the backlash it has since received from the community or plans for the future. Instead, spokesperson Johanna Peace pointed to several new features and content Meta released after the acquisition, including a price drop in the subscription, a multiplayer mode, and new artists series and collaborations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But barring a reversal in its decision, there\u2019s little Meta can say to comfort Supernatural<\/em> fans. Every single fan who spoke with The Verge<\/em> has said their trust in the company has been shattered. For most, it\u2019s a matter of picking which is the lesser evil moving forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n On Reddit and the Facebook group, some have already posted screenshots of canceling their subscriptions. Others, like Dickson, are trying to rally Supernatural<\/em> fans to create a grassroots movement that could save the game. Of those who spoke to ![\"Sherry](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/268305_Supernatural_Sherry_LPhilomene_0016.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400\"\/)
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"DeeDee](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/268305_Supernatural_DeeDee_MShannon_0008.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400\"\/)
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Many](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/268305_Supernatural_Kelly_CPerkins_0012.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400\"\/)
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Henry](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/268305_Supernatural_DeeDee_MShannon_0012.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400\"\/)
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Henry](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/268305_Supernatural_DeeDee_MShannon_0028.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400\"\/)
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Kelly](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/268305_Supernatural_Kelly_CPerkins_0024.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400\"\/)
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Dickson](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/268305_Supernatural_Sherry_LPhilomene_0020.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400\"\/)
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\u201cOther app developers should take note of how capriciously Meta fought for, then ditched Supernatural<\/em>. If you make something you love, you might make a pile of money selling it to Meta, but they\u2019re likely to mismanage and kill it,\u201d adds Matt Krzycki, an early adopter of Supernatural<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/268305_Supernatural_Sherry_LPhilomene_0018.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C8.3333333333333%2C100%2C83.333333333333&w=2400\"\/)
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/268305_Supernatural_DeeDee_MShannon_0021.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C8.3333333333333%2C100%2C83.333333333333&w=2400\"\/)
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