FTC says Meta’s Supernatural purchase could ruin the VR fitness market
Enlarge / Artist's conception of the FTC fighting back against Meta's latest proposed acquisition.
The Federal Trade Commission has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Meta in an attempt to stop the Facebook parent company from purchasing Within, which makes the popular virtual reality fitness app Supernatural.
Meta's plans to spend a reported $400 million on Within have reportedly been under FTC scrutiny after the proposed acquisition was announced last October. That proposed deal, according to the suit, "would substantially lessen competition, or tend to create a monopoly, in the relevant market for VR dedicated fitness apps and the broader relevant market for VR fitness apps."
Cornering the VR fitness market?Meta has been on something of a VR acquisition spree in the last two years, scooping up game developers including Sanzaru Games (Asgard's Wrath), Ready at Dawn (Lone Echo), Twisted Pixel (Wilson's Heart), Downpour Interactive (Onward), and BigBox VR (Population: One). But the planned purchase of Within seems to be setting off antitrust alarm bells at the FTC because of the overlap with Beat Saber maker Beat Games, which Meta purchased in 2019.