Why Social, Physical VR Games Are Thriving, According to Owlchemy Labs

Few studios have shaped the modern identity of VR interaction quite like Owlchemy Labs. From Job Simulator to Vacation Simulator, the team has consistently focused on intuitive, physical gameplay that embraces the strengths of immersive platforms.

With Dimensional Double Shift, the studio is building on that foundation, delivering a free-to-play, socially driven experience that has already surpassed one million downloads and cultivated a dedicated player base. The latest paid DLC level, Sporelando, is coming next month.

At GDC this year, we spoke with Andrew Eiche, CEO of Owlchemy Labs, about the game’s reception, the realities of designing for VR hardware, and the broader shifts shaping the industry. Below, you can read a lightly edited transcript of our conversation.

Can you tell me how Dimensional Double Shift has been performing and what the reception has been like?

Dimensional Double Shift has a strong fan base and a very consistent player base. We’ve had over a million downloads, and the people who play it really love it. There’s a dedicated group of players who are deeply engaged with the game.

With Sporlando, which is the fourth dimension we’ve created, we’re exploring these different liminal spaces across the United States. We’re also responding to what players want and ask for as we continue development. For example, features like snap turning were added because they’re common and expected, and they were very well received. We also see a lot of players – especially kids – playing in constrained spaces like their bed or against a wall, so features like that really matter.

When we first launched the beta, we hoped to get around 20,000 downloads in the first six months. Instead, we reached 200,000. That showed us there’s clearly a space for this kind of game in VR and that players are looking for experiences like this.

It feels like VR has come full circle, where the games gaining traction today can be traced back to Job Simulator-style experiences. Why do you think that is?

I think that’s always been where VR was heading. Early on, there was a bit of a mirage around what would work.

VR works really well for presence and social interaction, especially with dynamic, physical interactions between players. Even simple actions – like two people trying to start a motor together – create moments that can only exist in VR.

At the same time, there are physical limitations. Even the lightest headsets still add weight and heat, and that affects how long people want to stay in VR. Full AAA experiences will always have an audience, but it’s a smaller, more dedicated one.

One of the biggest lessons for developers is that players want the freedom to role-play and improvise. The more you constrain them, the more those experiences struggle. VR is at its best when it gives players space to interact naturally.

How do you continue to innovate on simple interactions like pulling a lever or flipping a switch?

We actually had the entire studio study The Design of Everyday Things. Most interactions people use boil down to a small number of common behaviors.

There was a paper we referenced that outlined around 30 ways people pick up objects, but only about 10 to 15 are used frequently. So rather than trying to create endless new interactions, we focus on refining those core ones. A big part of our design philosophy is making interactions feel intuitive and diegetic. A switch should look like it’s meant to be flipped. A lever should clearly invite you to pull it.

The real challenge isn’t coming up with things for players to do – it’s making sure they know how to do them without needing instructions. Ideally, players can look at something and immediately understand how to interact with it.

How important is hand tracking to that philosophy?

It’s central to it. If we want VR to reach a broader audience, we need to recognize that most people don’t use traditional game controllers.

Hand tracking is one way to lower that barrier. Most people are familiar with using their hands, even if they’ve never played a video game. That makes the experience more approachable. That’s not to say controllers don’t have a place – they absolutely do – but expanding input methods helps bring more people into VR.

What do you see happening in the VR space over the next three to five years?

A lot of it comes down to platform incentives and sustainability. If platforms are focused on building sustainable revenue, then developers who create games that drive engagement and revenue will naturally be supported and featured. That’s a healthier ecosystem than trying to guess what platforms want at any given moment.

Store design also plays a huge role. App store-style marketplaces tend to push pricing toward zero because they lack features like free trials or strong discovery systems.

Platforms like Steam handle this differently, with things like demos, curated recommendations, and events like Next Fest. That creates space for premium pricing and better transparency. In contrast, many app-style stores encourage free-to-play models because they don’t provide those same tools for discovery and player education.

Would Dimensional Double Shift be a premium game in a different market?

Potentially, yes. If there were better ways to communicate what players are getting – like built-in trial systems – it could support a premium model.

Right now, the best way to show players what the game offers is to let them jump in and try it. That’s one of the reasons the game is free-to-play. In a different ecosystem, you might see more premium single-player experiences succeed again, but with current market structures, it often becomes a race to the bottom.

The game has surpassed one million downloads. How does that feel?

It’s huge for us. It took about a year and a month to reach that milestone, and at the time, the game was only available on Quest. Given the challenges people talk about in VR, reaching that number is very exciting. It shows there’s real demand for this kind of experience.

How does revenue factor into your approach?

Our expectations are in line with what we anticipated. We’re not strictly pursuing a revenue-maximizing strategy. For example, we don’t use multiple currencies or aggressive monetization systems. We’re in a fortunate position where we can experiment a bit more, thanks in part to the continued success of Job Simulator and our other titles.

Is Job Simulator still performing well?

Yes, very much so. It’s an evergreen title. It continues to be part of the “starter pack” for VR, and that longevity has influenced how we approach new projects.

With Dimensional Double Shift, we simplified certain aspects and focused more on what players actually enjoy in VR, rather than what we might want to build purely for ourselves.

How has your development process evolved over time?

Early on, development was much more informal. For Job Simulator, ideas often came from trying to make each other laugh.

Now, the process is far more structured. We run detailed design briefs, brainstorm dimensions, and take a more technical approach to building systems. We also have access to better tools and can create more complex visuals, animations, and interactions. In many ways, our current games look closer to how players remember earlier VR titles, even if that’s not how they actually were.

Why did you choose Unity for development?

Unity has been a strong fit for us, especially in XR, where being supported on platforms early is important.

At the end of the day, engine choice is more about familiarity and experience. We’ve been using Unity for over a decade, so we have a lot of accumulated knowledge there. Any engine can be used to build great games – it’s more about how you use it.

Are there plans for additional platforms?

Right now, the game is available on Quest and Galaxy XR, which run on Android XR. We haven’t announced additional platforms yet, but we are a multi-platform studio.

Andrew Eiche, CEO at Owlchemy Labs

Interview conducted by David Jagneaux

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