Not a 3D Slack / Discord but something more social and chill, it has Very Positive ratings on Steam and many thousands of players in it every day…
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On-Together: Virtual Coworking is a new virtual world and a fairly new-ish spin on virtual worlds as a concept, in the sense that your On-Together avatar is also meant (as the title itself suggests) to represent what you are doing at that moment in the real world.
Created by indie dev studio GigaPuff, the team was inspired to build it by their own remote working experiences from home:
“We were doing unintentional body-doubling with friends on a second screen, sometimes online and sometimes just in the same room, sharing that quiet presence while we worked,” as lead developer/artist “Fizz” tells me. “Around the same time, we noticed a similar feeling in games. I’d open a life-sim, decorate an office-like room, and leave it running while I worked or did chores. It started to feel like the game was quietly coworking with me.”
It also reminded them of virtual chatrooms from the early 2000s. “We realized this was exactly the experience we wanted to capture: a calm, comforting sense of togetherness while still doing your own thing, socially less demanding and in the chillest possible way. That’s how the idea of On-Together started.”
It is supremely chill. And as you can see above, highly kawaii. I just visited one of the most active worlds, and someone called me over to join them at some picnic tables by the pond and lemonade stand. Which is where we all sat, most of our avatars tapping away at our keyboards, or quietly doing crafts. (You select your avatar’s work activity by hitting the Focus button.)
“People tend to mirror what they’re actually doing in real life while they’re in a focus session,” Fizz tells me. “Because of that, computer-related focus types are some of the most popular. A lot of creatives in our community use art-related focuses, such as drawing on a digital tablet or painting on an easel.”
There’s also options to select exercise or meditate as a Focus.
“That kind of happened naturally and turned into a nice reminder to stretch a bit between sessions. Meditation focus activities are also quite popular, especially in more crowded groups, where they help build a shared sense of calm and solidarity.”
True to a virtual world, Fizz and their teammates already see emergent behavior beyond co-working already happening:
“Reading groups began forming, and D&D groups started spending time there. We’ve also had other game studios and indie teams reach out to us, saying they use it as a shared space while developing their games, especially remote teams that just want to feel like they’re in the same room.”
There’s a handy option to minimize the screen, so your On-Together avatar and your companions remain on a corner of your computer display while you work on a Google Doc or whatever.
“Some people have told us they use it to spend time with long-distance friends or partners. Seeing all of these different use cases emerge naturally has honestly been one of the most rewarding parts of working on the game.”
My initial assumption was that On-Together might become a more immersive version of Slack and Discard for remote workers. That’s not GigaPuff’s intent, Fizz tells me.
“It’s natural to compare it to other work tools, and of course teams or business owners are welcome to use it if they find value in it. But that was never the main goal. What we really wanted to create was an environment where employees, students, or anyone trying to learn something new or get things done can feel supported just by being around others who are doing their own thing at the same time.”
So unsurprisingly, the team is evolving it to become even more of a virtual world:
“On-Together is a living playground,” as Fizz puts it. “We want to keep it alive, evolving, and feeling fresh without losing its warmth. The community has been amazingly supportive and chill, and honestly, what makes the game special beyond the original idea is the people inside it. We hope the community continues to grow while still staying the chillest virtual co-working space out there.”
With a Very Positive rating on Steam and many thousands of players in it every day since in its January 19 launch, it’s already serving a passionate community. I can see the game growing much larger as it’s discovered through word of mouth, to the point where it starts hitting Animal Crossing numbers. I also believe we’ll see other online games adopting similar co-working features, to encourage players to stay online, even when they have real life assignments to finish.
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