TechCrunch commented that Meta did not proceed with its original plan to gradually shut down the VR fitness app Supernatural. Instead, it decided to spin off the business, with a newly formed independent company taking over. For users still using the app, this means the service will not be terminated directly, and operations will continue.
The handover will be completed later this year.
The report mentions that the acquiring company is called Supernatural Health, and it is expected to officially take over the app later this year. The new company states on its website that Supernatural will relaunch as an independent company, maintaining its coaching team, product DNA, and fitness positioning.
TechCrunch reports that this spin-off comes approximately five months after Meta announced it would stop adding new content to the product. Previously, users had expressed dissatisfaction with the app's future, fearing it would lose updates and ultimately become marginalized after the acquisition.
Original founding team returns
The core members of the new company come from the original founding team of Supernatural. According to reports, this is one of the most attention-grabbing aspects of this restructuring. For fitness apps that rely on course updates and coach content to maintain activity, team continuity is directly related to whether the product can retain existing users.
Meta completed its acquisition of Within, the developer of Supernatural, in 2023. Reports cite sources indicating the deal was worth approximately $400 million. Meta also faced an eight-month antitrust lawsuit before finalizing the acquisition.
The strategy reversed after the acquisition.
TechCrunch commented that Meta had invested heavily in acquiring the asset, but shortly after the acquisition, the company laid off a large number of its VR team staff and decided to stop adding new content to Supernatural. This has raised questions about the long-term implications of the acquisition.
The report also quoted users' statements in public communities, saying that many people once believed that Supernatural had lost its room for further development after being acquired. Now that it is operating independently, it has at least avoided the fate of being forced out of the market.
