The Federal Trade Commission is seeking a court order in US court to stop Mark Zuckerberg and Meta Platforms from buying fitness service Supernatural.
a partial redacted complaintt claims that the acquisition announced last year would close at the end of this month, but that it would “significantly reduce competition, or tend to create a monopoly, in the relevant market for VR-specific fitness apps.”
“Letting Meta acquire Supernatural would combine the makers of two of the major VR fitness apps, eliminating the favorable rivalry between Meta’s Beat Saber app and Within’s Supernatural app,” the indictment reads. “It’s quite likely that without this acquisition, Meta would have entered the VR-specific fitness app market in alternative ways.”
Meta “could build rather than buy in a reasonable time frame if it couldn’t go through with this acquisition,” the complaint reads. If allowed, “Meta would be one step closer to his ultimate goal of owning the entire ‘Metaverse’.”
In a prepared statement, a Meta spokesperson shared the following with UploadVR:
“The FTC’s case is based on ideology and speculation, not evidence. The idea that this acquisition would lead to anticompetitive results in a dynamic space with as much entry and growth as online and connected fitness is simply not credible. By attacking this deal with a 3-2 vote, the FTC is sending a chilling message to anyone looking to innovate in VR. We are confident that our acquisition of Within will be good for people, developers and the VR space.”