Groovy Labs - The VR/MR World of Rhythm & Music

Overview

Groovy Labs is a Rhythm Games Sandbox for Virtual and Mixed Reality (VR/MR).

Though inspired by Beat Saber, we have an ambition for Groovy Labs to become something more than just a single game. We do so by providing a platform for music and rhythm-based mini-games, as well as for immersive experiences. It's all powered by content created by the developers and the community.

Groovy Labs offers a sheer number and variety of songs the players can choose from. There's tens of thousands of beatmaps (levels) created by Beat Saber community that we tap into. New songs are added on a daily basis and you can also request to create maps for your favorite songs!

Groovy Labs is highly customizable to cater to various player preferences. This includes the ability to choose the type of gameplay, an environment in which the game takes place, custom models of weapons and destructible objects and more.

The customizations described above are part of what makes Groovy Labs an extensible platform. The content that the community creates may even introduce novel gameplay mechanics that we haven't yet thought of. This approach is similar to other, highly popular platforms, like Fortnite, Minecraft or Roblox.

More information on the project website: www.groovylabsgame.com

Important Points

Platform Approach
More than just another Beat Saber clone - a platform for music and rhythm-based mini-games and immersive experiences.
Extensive Library
Tens of thousands of songs, added daily. Ability to request favorite songs.
Highly Customizable
Variety of game modes, environments, weapons, and destructible objects to tailor the experience.
Community-Driven
Empowering players, modders and content creators to shape the game.
Health and Fitness
Engaging gameplay designed to promote physical activity and well-being.
Indie Development
Developed primarily by a single passionate developer, ensuring dedication and a focused vision.
Legal Battle with Meta
Overcame legal challenges from Meta to establish Groovy Labs as an independent project, available in the Meta Quest Store, among other platforms.
Cross-Platform
Available on a variety of devices: Meta Quest, Pico, HTC Vive Focus, SteamVR, PCVR, Samsung Galaxy XR, Apple Vision Pro, and more to come.
Online Multiplayer (planned)
Competitive and Co-Op modes to play with friends and other players worldwide.

Legal Battle with Meta

I am a solo indie developer who spent years building an original VR rhythm sandbox. Meta accused my project (formely named Beat Labs) of infringing Beat Saber and effectively forced it offline through legal pressure. While I disputed key claims, I chose to comply in good faith. I removed distribution, renamed the project to Groovy Labs, stripped all references to Beat Saber, and replaced core mechanics, assets, note systems, and even the beatmap format. The process highlighted the imbalance between an independent creator and a multibillion-dollar platform holder. In the end, after extensive changes and long dialogue, we reached an understanding. The project now moves forward independently, with a clear focus on innovation and creativity.

Backstory

Diclaimer: what follows is mostly written by ChatGPT but based on countless conversations and it... it just gets me 😉

Why am I building Groovy Labs?

Because I could not not be building it. Not in the romantic sense. In the structural sense.

I am building Groovy Labs because at some point rhythm games stopped feeling like instruments and started feeling like jukeboxes. Fixed songs, fixed rules, fixed affordances. Fun, polished, finished. And closed. I saw a medium that was still young, still plastic, already hardening into conventions. My instinct was to pry it back open before it fossilized.

I am building it because I think in systems, not products. Because when I see a rhythm game, I immediately see the layer beneath it: timing models, input vocabularies, spatial grammars, data formats, extensibility seams. I am not satisfied playing inside a box if I can redesign the box and then let others decorate it.

I am building it because VR and MR deserve sandboxes, not monuments. Places where mechanics can mutate, where community content is first-class, where one beatmap can power ten different experiences depending on how the player chooses to embody it. Katanas today, something else tomorrow.

I am also building it because I value agency. Mine, and the players'. Agency over music, over difficulty, over expression, over experimentation. I want a space where curiosity is rewarded, not constrained by store checklists or genre dogma.

And, quietly but importantly, I am building it because I needed to prove something to myself. That I can take pressure, redesign from first principles, shed a skin, and still move forward with clarity rather than bitterness. Groovy Labs is not a reaction anymore. It is a statement of intent.

Sometimes a project is more than code and assets. It is a way of keeping my inner compass calibrated when the world tries to magnetize it elsewhere. Groovy Labs feels like that kind of project. Quietly stubborn. Deliberately open. Still dancing, even after the music changed.

Groovy Labs says: rhythm is not a game. Rhythm is a medium.

Audience

Groovy Labs, as a platform, aims to cater to the needs of a diverse playerbase:

Young adults, regular gamers, usually looking for fast-paced, reflex-base, competitive gameplay.
Adults, casual gamers, usually looking for more laid back, fun gameplay, In the VR/MR context commonly used as a way to get and stay fit.
Seniors - growing playerbase of casual gamers looking for novel, fun and relaxing gameplay that can also keep them in good shape.

Assets

Click for full-resolution images.

Vision / Roadmap

Establish Groovy Labs as the premier VR/MR rhythm games platform.
Continuously expand the song library and gameplay modes.
Foster a vibrant community of players and content creators.
Implement online multiplayer features to enhance social gaming.
Create a web portal to facilitate content sharing and community engagement.
Introduce unique immersive experiences leveraging music, visuals, and interactivity.

Team

‣ Marek Stój - Project Leader

An experienced software developer. During his professional career spanning more than 17 years, he worked with technologies like .NET, C#, Android, Java, Big Data, Scala, Unity 3D and many others. For a few years now making his dream come true by working in the game development industry.

www.marekstoj.com

www.linkedin.com/in/marekstoj

‣ The Community

The community gathered around Groovy Labs is what ultimately makes the platform awesome. Players and content creators, like custom level designers, 3D modellers and modders are first-class citizens here. Their voice is heard and greatly contributes to the decision making behind the direction and the shape of Groovy Labs.

dsc.gg/bodymindgames