Seeking Feedback: Startup Predictor
Hi everyone, We’ve all heard the stat that 90% of startups fail. Most of the time, founders realize their idea isn't working far too late. I wanted to see if I could use AI to change that, so I built Startup Predictor. It’s an AI-powered decision engine that analyzes signals like funding level, founder experience, execution stage, and team size to provide a success probability score. I’m looking for some honest feedback from the community on my Startup Predictor. Check it out here: Startup Predictor I’m a student developer working on this to help founders make more data-driven decisions. If the community finds this useful, I’m planning to move forward with this startup to build a billion-dollar company. Thanks for your time and any feedback you can give!What VR Developers Can Learn From Animal Company’s Viral Growth
In the past, growing a game meant running ads, contacting influencers, and pushing constant updates across social media. Today, the growth dynamic is shifting. Some of the fastest-growing games are not succeeding because they post more marketing content. They are succeeding because their gameplay naturally creates content that players want to share. One of the most interesting recent examples of this approach is Animal Company, a VR title that achieved remarkable organic growth in a short period of time. Within its first six months, the game reportedly generated: 1B+ TikTok views ~500,000 peak daily active users 9× growth in paying users Instead of relying heavily on traditional marketing channels, the game’s design itself became the marketing engine. For VR developers, this case offers several valuable lessons. I will share them in this blog post. 1. Design for Watchability, Not Just Playability Game developers traditionally optimize for playability: mechanics, progression, difficulty, and retention. But in today’s attention economy, there is another critical design factor: Watchability. Watchability means designing moments that are entertaining even to someone who is not playing the game. Animal Company’s gameplay consistently produces moments that work well on platforms like TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. These moments often involve: chaotic multiplayer interactions unexpected physics outcomes exaggerated emotional reactions social improvisation between players When these moments happen in VR, they are naturally clipped and shared by players. The result is organic discovery. Players become marketers simply by sharing their gameplay experiences. 2. Social Chaos Creates Shareable Moments Many successful VR experiences lean heavily into social unpredictability. Animal Company embraces this philosophy by building systems that encourage chaotic, funny, or surprising interactions between players. These include elements like: physics-driven movement expressive avatars playful or comedic animation systems environments that encourage experimentation The goal is not to script funny moments. The goal is to create conditions where funny moments are likely to happen. When these unpredictable situations occur, players instinctively record and share them. 3. Emotional Reactions Translate Well to Video VR has a powerful advantage compared to traditional games: embodied reactions. When players are immersed in VR, their responses are often more physical and emotional. Animal Company leverages this by using: spatial audio cues environmental tension sudden encounters or surprises These mechanics create intense player reactions — screams, laughter, panic, excitement. For social platforms, these reactions are extremely compelling to watch. A viewer might not fully understand the game mechanics, but they instantly understand someone screaming in VR. That emotional clarity makes clips far more shareable. 4. Turn Players Into Performers Another key idea behind the game’s success is treating environments as stages rather than just levels. Players are given tools and systems that allow them to perform: comedic skits stunts chaotic multiplayer challenges improvised social moments In other words, the game encourages players to create content inside the game world. This transforms the typical player into something more powerful: a content creator. And when hundreds or thousands of players begin creating content, the game’s reach expands far beyond the original player base. 5. Build a Creator Ecosystem Games that grow through social media often develop strong relationships with their most active creators. Animal Company reportedly implemented an invite-only creator space within its community — a Discord group where top creators can communicate directly with the development team. This type of ecosystem has multiple benefits: Creators receive recognition and support Developers gain direct feedback from influential players The community feels more connected to the game’s evolution Over time, this creates a feedback loop where creators help drive discovery, while the developers support the creators’ ability to produce content. 6. Community Feedback as a Development Engine Another notable aspect of the game’s development approach is its responsiveness to the community. Frequent updates and a close relationship with the player base allow developers to quickly react to emerging ideas, memes, or trends within the community. When players feel that their ideas can influence the game, they become more engaged — and more invested in the ecosystem surrounding the game. In many cases, community culture becomes just as important as the gameplay itself. 7. Monetization After the Community Forms One of the most interesting strategic choices was delaying monetization early in the game’s lifecycle. Rather than introducing monetization immediately, the focus was first placed on strengthening the social gameplay loop and building a loyal community. Once players were emotionally invested in the game and its culture, customization options and cosmetic purchases became more attractive. This approach often leads to healthier long-term monetization because spending is driven by expression and identity, not pressure. The Bigger Lesson Animal Company highlights an important shift in how games grow today. Successful games are no longer only designed to be fun to play. They are designed to be fun to watch. When gameplay naturally produces moments that players want to share, marketing becomes embedded directly into the experience itself. Instead of competing purely through paid acquisition, games can grow through the creativity of their own communities. For developers, this raises an important design question: If a player records 30 seconds of your game, would someone else want to watch it? If the answer is yes, you may already have the foundation for organic growth. If you're interested in learning more about designing games that generate shareable content, I’ll be discussing practical strategies and examples in my upcoming session: Craft Social Content Players Want to Watch | Growth Series, Part 2 📅 March 13, 2026 🕚 11:00 AM PDT Looking forward to seeing other developers there and continuing the conversation around how games and creators can grow together.How to Build Player Retention Systems for Social VR games | Fast Essentials
Players who finish your tutorial still need a reason to come back, and Start Mentor Tevfik has a framework for exactly that. In this session he breaks down the Retention Triangle: how quests guide players through your game, how badges build visible identity, and how free Meta Platform SDK leaderboards keep your world feeling alive. 💡 By watching this video, you will learn: How to design quests that double as guided tutorials How cosmetic badges and “OG” status markers give players a visible identity How to implement a working leaderboard using the free Meta Platform SDK How daily resets and short-term challenges support long-term retention This session was recorded live in January 2026 as part of the Meta Horizon Start program. 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION 🕒 00:00: Welcome and intro to the Retention Triangle 📐 DESIGNING QUESTS FOR RETENTION 🕒 02:21: Structuring Quests and the Challenge System Architecture 🏅 IDENTITY SYSTEMS 🕒 05:13: Badges and Leaderboards 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ Sign up to get the latest news from Meta Horizon: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/newsletter 💡 LEARN ABOUT THE META HORIZON START PROGRAM The Meta Horizon Start program provides intermediate and advanced developers with the resources, hands-on support, and expert guidance needed to accelerate their app development. Join a thriving community to get the tools and go-to-market guidance you need to successfully deploy and grow your app on Meta Horizon OS. Apply to Start today: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/discover/programs/start
Build a VR Economy with Leaderboards & In-Game Currency | Fast Essentials
If VR leaderboards give your players a reason to compete, then it’s a robust in-game economy that compels them to stay. In this Start Mentor workshop, Tevfik gives you the full rundown on both systems using a live Unity project. On one side you get Meta Platform SDK leaderboards; on the other, a PlayFab backend that manages virtual currency and in-app purchases across devices. 💡 By watching this video, you will learn: The Meta Platform SDK includes a free leaderboard system that links directly to player profiles and tracks metrics like session joins or high scores. Microsoft PlayFab serves as a cloud backend for managing virtual currency and player inventory across devices. Entitlement checks verify app ownership and protect player data so that progress follows them to any headset. Meta's in-app purchase flow handles the real-money transaction while your backend manages the actual currency grant. This session was recorded live in January 2026 as part of the Meta Horizon Start program. 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION 🕒 00:00: Introduction to Social Systems in Baby VR 📊 LEADERBOARD SETUP 🕒 01:51: Visualizing Leaderboards and Currency in Unity 🕒 03:55: Setting Up Leaderboards in the Meta Dashboard 🕒 06:12: Coding the Leaderboard Logic 💰 ECONOMY AND PERSISTENCE 🕒 08:10: Managing Game Economy with PlayFab 🕒 09:58: Entitlements and Cross-Device Persistence 🕒 12:08: Implementing In-App Purchases 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ Sign up to get the latest news from Meta Horizon: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/newsletter 💡 LEARN ABOUT THE META HORIZON START PROGRAM The Meta Horizon Start program provides intermediate and advanced developers with the resources, hands-on support, and expert guidance needed to accelerate their app development. Join a thriving community to get the tools and go-to-market guidance you need to successfully deploy and grow your app on Meta Horizon OS. Apply to Start today: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/discover/programs/start
Why Tech Trees Drive Retention in Social VR | Fast Essentials
Players don't remember reaching Level 5. They remember earning their first moderator badge or unlocking the jump ability through a tech tree. Start Mentor Tevfik breaks down why visual ranking systems drive retention in social VR by transforming progression into social capital. Discover how to build branching upgrade paths, replace generic levels with earned status symbols, and create leadership roles that make players feel chosen. This session was recorded live in January 2026 as part of the Meta Horizon Start program. 🎬 CHAPTERS 👋 INTRODUCTION 🕒 00:00 – Social Capital & The Tech Tree System 📈 SOCIAL VR PROGRESSION 🕒 02:51 – The Shift to Social VR & Progression 📊 BADGES OVER LEVELS 🕒 04:48 – Status Symbols vs. Numerical Levels 💡 COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLES 🕒 07:24 – Community Roles & Future Mechanics 🎮 FEATURED IN THIS SESSION ➡️ RC Brains: https://www.meta.com/experiences/rc-brains-social-vr-racing-game/23951323707874281/ 📚 RESOURCES ➡️ Developers Blog: https://developers.meta.com/resources/blog/ ➡️ Meta Quest Developer Hub: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/ts-mqdh/ 🔗 CONNECT WITH US ➡️ Sign up to get the latest news from Meta Horizon: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/newsletter 💡 LEARN ABOUT THE META HORIZON START PROGRAM The Meta Horizon Start program provides intermediate and advanced developers with hands-on support and expert guidance to accelerate app development. Join a thriving community to access the tools and go-to-market resources you need to successfully deploy and grow your app on Meta Horizon OS. Apply to Start today: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/discover/programs/start
I Almost Overdesigned My VR Game to Death
There’s a phase in game development that nobody really warns you about. It’s not the “I can’t code this” phase. It’s not the “I ran out of money” phase. It’s not even the “no one is playing my game” phase. It’s when your own ideas start overwhelming the game. That’s where I found myself recently. I have a Social VR game currently live on the Meta Horizon Store. And this is my story about how design — not bugs — became my biggest struggle. The Dangerous Kind of Productivity After publishing my game (3 months ago), the early months were manageable. There were bugs to fix. Core features to improve. Community expectations were still forming. But as time passed, growth slowed. And I felt stuck. Not because I had no ideas. Because I had too many good ones. New abilities Leveling systems Advanced control modes More immersive camera options Dynamic AI creatures Lore layers Progression trees World events Each one is exciting. Each one is defensible. Each one “adding depth.” And each one is making the game heavier. From the outside, it looked like progress. From the inside, it felt like friction. VR Makes It Worse In VR, every feature multiplies complexity. A new ability isn’t just a new mechanic —it affects comfort, cognitive load, UI clarity, and social balance. A new camera mode isn’t just visual —it changes perception and can introduce motion discomfort. A new progression system isn’t just numbers —it affects motivation, fairness, and retention. Everything touches everything. And when you stack systems without tightening the core, the experience starts to blur. The Subtle Identity Drift The scariest question I had to ask myself was: What is this game actually about? Is it skill-based? Is it social? Is it progression-driven? Is it a sandbox? Is it competitive? Is it experimental? When you add features faster than you refine your foundation, your game slowly loses its center. Not dramatically. Just enough that every new decision becomes harder. That uncertainty is exhausting. The Ambition Trap Overdesign often comes from passion. You care. You want your game to stand out. You want depth. Growth. Surprise. So you build. And build. And build. Until one day you realize you’ve created something impressive… but unclear. Complexity Feels Like Depth — But It Isn’t This was the lesson I had to learn: Depth comes from mastery of a strong core. Complexity comes from stacking. They are not the same thing. A single mechanic refined to excellence will carry a game further than five half-polished systems competing for attention. Especially in VR, where clarity of experience is everything. The Turning Point My shift wasn’t about cutting ideas. It was about asking a harder question before adding anything new: Does this strengthen the core loop? Not: “Is this cool?” Not: “Will players like this feature?” Not: “Will this make the game deeper?” But: Does this make the core experience clearer and stronger? If the answer wasn’t obvious, it didn’t belong — at least not yet. The Real Struggle Isn’t Technical Most developers think the hard part is engineering. In my experience, the real struggle is restraint. It’s saying no to good ideas. It’s choosing focus over ambition. It’s realizing that sometimes your game doesn’t need more mechanics. It needs a sharper identity. The Second Mistake: Retention Here’s something even harder to admit. After refocusing the core, I made another mistake. I didn’t give players a strong enough reason to come back. Clarity alone is not enough. Players need: progression competition meaningful goals something to improve at A strong core gets them in. Retention systems keep them returning. Balancing simplicity and long-term motivation is the real design challenge. If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed If your project feels heavier every week… If every feature you add creates two new design problems… If you keep “improving” the game but feel further from clarity… You’re not alone. You’re not bad at design. You might just be overdesigning. And that’s usually a sign you care. What I’m Learning Simplicity is not a lack of ambition. It’s disciplined ambition. I almost overdesigned my game to death. Now I’m learning that the strongest games aren’t built by stacking ideas. They’re built by protecting the core — and then carefully layering systems that support it. That lesson might be the most valuable part of this entire journey. If you’re building something in VR right now: What are you struggling with the most? Clarity? Retention? Scope? Motivation? Let’s talk.
Accessibility Feature Request: Conversation Focus Mode for Ray-Ban Meta Display Glasses
Hi everyone! I’m a Ray-Ban Meta display glasses user who is hard of hearing and wears hearing aids daily. I’d love to see a conversation focus mode added that prioritizes voices directly in front of the wearer and reduces background noise. In busy environments, this would make a big difference for hearing-aid users and others who rely on clearer speech in real time. If this type of accessibility feature is ever developed, I would absolutely love the ability to have it added to my glasses and would be happy to provide feedback or participate in any beta or user-testing opportunities. I’ve also submitted this through support channels, but wanted to share here in case the team is gathering feedback.Mixed Reality with Unity and Meta SDK Test
Hi, I have been developing in Meta Horizon since 2020 and have learned UnityXR/MR. I will graduate with a masters degree in Art and Technology in May 2026. For my final project I will be working on a Mixed Reality interaction for dyslexic learners with hand tracking. I will be applying for the smart glasses grant for accessibility. I've been in education for the past 19 years, teaching students with dyslexia for the past ten years. This video shows my first test. Link and image below. Mixed Reality Test, Quest 3: Mixed Reality Test, Unity and Meta SDK by Tina Wheeler
