Meta, the corporate giant formerly known as Facebook, has hemorrhaged an astronomical amount of capital over the last few years—reportedly losing a billion dollars every month—in a desperate bid to manifest a digital universe. A cornerstone of Mark Zuckerberg’s VR pitch was the immersive virtual office: a sterile environment where disembodied torsos could congregate to optimize corporate synergy. These concepts largely fell flat upon arrival. Yet, as Meta begins to distance itself from its metaverse ambitions, a small indie team on Steam is finding massive success with a remarkably similar, albeit more human, vision.
Currently climbing the “Popular New Releases” chart on Steam is On-Together: Virtual Coworking. The primary differentiator? Accessibility. Unlike Meta’s requirement for expensive, cumbersome hardware, On-Together costs a mere $9.99 and runs on standard PCs. More importantly, it eschews the anodyne feel of a corporate platform designed for ad conversions. Instead, it offers a cozy, “Ghibli-esque” aesthetic—imagine the social charm of Animal Crossing blended with the collaborative spirit of Webfishing. And unlike a standard Zoom call, it’s actually fun.
Users design charming avatars that inhabit “third spaces” ranging from tranquil libraries and public parks to whimsical lily pads in hidden forests. These environments are populated by real people, allowing for varying degrees of social interaction. Whether you need a bustling background to stay motivated or prefer to relegate your cel-shaded peers to a small corner of your screen as a mental reprieve, the game accommodates your workflow. On-Together also features integrated productivity tools, such as Pomodoro timers, task lists, and desktop mirroring, ensuring your actual work remains the focus.
The true magic of the platform, however, lies in its rejection of pure “labor.” The customization depth is impressive, offering everything from unique idle animations to digital pets like cats and capybaras. When it’s time for a break, users can pivot to mini-games like fishing, basketball, or even collaborative music creation. Whether you’re relaxing in a seaside cabin or an elegant lighthouse, the game rewards focus; staying productive earns “tickets” used to unlock new cosmetic items. It’s an ecosystem that incentivizes concentration through play rather than corporate surveillance.
Since its mid-January debut, On-Together has maintained a steady concurrent player count of around 2,000, but developer GigaPuff notes that the full release and demo have reached over 60,000 unique users. While those aren’t “AAA” blockbuster numbers, they dwarf Meta’s efforts; one investigation found that Meta’s professional metaverse attracted fewer than 900 users in an entire week. Consequently, Meta is scheduled to shutter its work services in February. The indie title has even managed to sustain a higher player peak than several high-budget live-service failures, such as Concord.
According to Ilgın S., a developer at GigaPuff, the game’s success stems from its lack of professional pressure. There is no boss monitoring your screen. Your “coworkers” aren’t necessarily your real-life colleagues, and productivity isn’t a mandate. It functions more like a digital lounge where work happens to occur. The project was born in early 2025 as the team looked for ways to replicate the nostalgic, low-stakes social energy of early-2000s chatrooms.
“We genuinely love that era of online culture,” Ilgın explains. “As we transitioned into adult professional lives, we realized we missed having a digital space that felt like home.”
The GigaPuff team gravitated toward the “body doubling” phenomenon—the psychological benefit of working alongside others, even virtually. However, Ilgın is quick to dismiss the idea of On-Together as a corporate “optimization” tool. “It’s about making the experience of working feel a little less heavy and a little more human,” Ilgın says. “Work can be a grind; we aren’t trying to glorify the hustle, just help people get through it together.”
Steam reviews suggest the community agrees. The game currently holds an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating, with users crediting the app for helping them overcome academic slumps and professional burnout. One viral review mentions that having the game open for just three hours provided the motivation to clean a “depression room” and finish weeks of backlogged chores. For GigaPuff, the goal isn’t to build a better spreadsheet; it’s to provide a living, breathing playground for the modern remote worker.
Source: Polygon
