This Japanese VR dating app let’s people meet through avatars and go on virtual dates

There’s a virtual reality dating app called Memoria, developed by a Japanese startup business called Flamers, in which users can apparently look for love behind avatars, without ever having to show their faces.

Memoria is a Japanese VR-based dating application that aims to help users find “love from within,” as the slogan on their website suggests. Using AI technology, Memoria’s algorithm recommends potential partners based on users’ profiles and preferences. The app schedules a 30-minute admin chaperoned, virtual first date, providing conversation support with suggested questions, and short psychological tests for users to get to know each other better. If the first date goes well and there’s a match, an admin arranges a second date. After a successful second date, couples can freely explore virtual spaces in the app. Instead of using profile pictures, users can choose from 15 different avatar types to represent themselves.

According to Memoria’s development team, their avatars are thoughtfully designed to “feel human” and have the capability to move and engage in interactions similar to people in the real world. Within the application, users can meet and socialize in virtual spaces, participating in events such as matchmaking sessions, virtual drives, shopping together, and various other activities. Additionally, Memoria’s blog states that the app currently has four unique virtual worlds for users to explore: an amusement park, outer space, a campsite, and a “spot the difference game area” where partners search for differences between two rooms.

The founder and CEO of Flamers, Koichi Sato himself met his fiancée, VTuber namiciro, via metaverse, and often expresses his enthusiasm for the potential that he believes VR can bring to the dating world, viewing his own experience in finding love virtually as a success story. The Memoria’s official Twitter account mentions that users can feel a sense of security while dating in the app and that “There are many people who are reluctant to post pictures of their faces on dating apps, especially the smaller their community is, so using an avatar is a good idea for such people.”

It seems as though the dating app is providing a unique solution for individuals looking to find a new way to connect with others. On Memoria’s official site, users in their 20s and 30s shared their positive experiences and mentioned feeling relaxed while using the service.

Many users also seem relieved they can talk to others without being judged on their looks. A user expressed this sentiment in a statement for Abema Times, saying, “Using an avatar, it’s easier to feel less nervous. I don’t have to worry about my appearance or judge others based on their looks, so I can focus on their personality.” Similarly, in the same article their matched partner stated that, “Unlike other matchmaking apps, there’s no judgment based on photos here. It’s great that the first impression is based on one’s inner qualities.”

Memoria offers free access for women, while men can choose a monthly subscription for about $28. There’s currently a campaign allowing men to try out the service once for free, potentially leading to their first successful date on the app.

Since VR dating is still relatively new, it will be interesting to see how it develops, to what extent it will catch on and whether it will encounter some of the problems that existing dating apps face, such as catfishing, age verification issues, and scams.

Memoria can be accessed via PC and VR headset.