Mixed Reality Hard Lessons
How We Launched a Mixed Reality Game—And Why It Failed
In July, we launched Jungle Man, a hand-tracked, Mixed Reality platformer for Meta Quest 3. It was bold, creative, and technologically ambitious. We were so incredibly proud of what we accomplished.
It turned out to be our worst-performing title to date.
This post is about hard-earned lessons—and a reality check for any developer tempted to bet big on new technology before the audience is ready.
What We Built
Jungle Man is a room-scale game built entirely around environmental mapping and hand-tracking. Using your hands, you physically swing a virtual character (Jungle Man), like an action figure on a rope, from vine to vine. You guide him through whatever room you choose, helping him dodge traps, enemies and environmental pitfalls, and reach complete his quest. It is wholly unique in the space, which is why we love it.
The game spans over 70 procedurally generated levels that scale in difficulty as you progress. Each level literally adapts to whatever physical space you choose. No controllers. No joystick. Just your hands and your room.
We passionately believed in it. Still do, and are continuing to seek ways to bring an updated version to the community with Meta’s support.
What Went Wrong
There are still no breakout hits in Mixed Reality gaming. That’s not opinion—it’s observable in the numbers. Customers don’t perceive MR as a reliable or essential gaming platform. To most, it’s still a tech demo—interesting, but not something they trust to deliver meaningful gaming experiences.
Worse, player behavior is trending backwards. People aren’t seeking more active play. They’re sitting back down. Sedentary, controller-first gameplay is dominating again, even on Quest 3. This saddens me.
We assumed players were ready to:
Clear physical space
Learn a new input model
Stand up, move, and trust hand-tracking
They weren’t. At our demo at Dragon Con, full of passionate gamers, we talked to many people who had never heard of Mixed Reality. That was sobering.
This wasn’t a prototype for us. It was a real bet. The platform co-funded production, and we’re eternally grateful for that. Both parties lost but we, an indie publisher, felt it considerably harder. Ultimately, the decision to fund the game was mine, and mine alone.
We Drank the Kool-Aid
We believed in mixed reality. Maybe too much.
We were convinced that Jungle Man would ride the front wave of a new era in MR gaming. But tech hype doesn’t equal player readiness. Just because the tools are there doesn’t mean people want to use them. Many companies are hyping mixed reality, including Apple, but the audience is simply not there yet at scale.
MR may be the future, but the present belongs to low-friction, controller-based play. Our game demanded trust in systems most players had never touched before. That trust wasn’t there yet and we didn’t earn it in time.
The Numbers Hurt
Our lowest-performing launch to date. Despite platform co-funding and strong internal confidence, Jungle Man failed to gain traction.
Low initial interest. Even with heavy paid advertising, we couldn’t generate meaningful reach, awareness, or wishlists.
Weak conversion at an initial $9.99 price point. Store traffic was limited, and the audience didn’t bite.
Poor IAP performance. Cosmetic bundles underperformed across all tiers, reflecting low retention and minimal ongoing engagement.
The game wasn’t broken. It just wasn’t aligned with how players are actually engaging with their devices.
What We’d Tell Aspiring MR Devs
Just because platforms are pushing a particular tech doesn’t mean players are following. Platform strategy and player behavior are sometimes out of sync—don’t assume alignment.
Build for real habits, not hopeful ones. Players default to comfort and familiarity. Design around what they actually do, not what you wish they would.
Being an early pioneer still means taking the arrows. And sometimes, when you get to the destination, no one is there to greet you. Make financial decisions accordingly.
Would We Do It Again?
Yes, but differently. We still believe in Jungle Man as an IP. We still believe mixed-reality has a place in gaming.
But next time, we’ll test earlier, build leaner, and validate assumptions before investing this deeply. Sometimes the biggest risk isn’t failing… it’s being right too early.
We’re still here and still making games, including a sci-fi multiplayer VR title next month. We hope Jungle Man finds its audience when the addressable market catches up to the magic that is Virtual and Mixed Reality.
— Doug Nabors, Fun Train
