Editing Graham Gaylor (section)

== VRChat: Platform History & Milestones ==

=== First Release (January 16, 2014) ===

VRChat was first released as a Windows application for the '''Oculus Rift DK1''' on '''January 16, 2014'''. The platform originated in a college dorm room. Its earliest form was deliberately minimal:

* All users shared a '''single avatar''' named '''Karl'''
* Everyone gathered in a '''single room''' based on a Unity Asset Store cafe demo scene
* No custom avatars; no multiple worlds; no trust system

This version was a proof of concept — a virtual space for the early Oculus community to actually meet.

=== Avatar Customization (March 16, 2014) ===

The decision that would define VRChat's entire culture was made early. On '''March 16, 2014''', co-founder Jesse Joudrey made his first public contributions to VRChat with version '''0.3.5''' — introducing the ability for users to upload and use custom avatars. This single feature, added less than two months after launch, planted the seed of the entire VRChat avatar economy, furry community, and creator ecosystem that VRCHistory documents.

Gaylor later shared early emails and internal documentation about these decisions with the Voices of VR podcast for historical documentation — one of the few times primary source material from VRChat's founding era has been made available publicly.

=== Full Timeline ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Date !! Milestone
|-
| 2013 || Graham Gaylor backs the Oculus Kickstarter; creates prototype "VRChatroom"; recruits early testers from Reddit
|-
| 2013 || Jesse Joudrey founds Jespinage; Gaylor discovers Joudrey via podcast; partnership begins
|-
| January 16, 2014 || VRChat first released for Oculus Rift DK1; single room, single shared avatar "Karl"
|-
| March 16, 2014 || Version 0.3.5 — Joudrey's first public contribution; custom avatar upload introduced
|-
| January 14, 2015 || First funding round
|-
| October 4, 2016 || Seed round — $1.2 million raised
|-
| February 1, 2017 || VRChat released on Steam Early Access — opens platform to non-Oculus VR users
|-
| September 21, 2017 || HTC Corporation invests $4 million
|-
| January 2018 || Viral surge — content creators including PewDiePie and Dunkey bring mainstream attention; peak of 20,000 concurrent players (January 13, 2018)
|-
| 2019 || VRChat launched for Oculus Quest (standalone headsets)
|-
| 2020 || VRC+ subscription service launched; VRCat mascot introduced; COVID-19 drives furry community surge
|-
| 2021 || Series D — $80 million raised; peak of company growth post-pandemic
|-
| July 2022 || Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) introduced — triggers major community backlash and review-bombing
|-
| 2023 || VRChat mobile (Android) alpha launched for VRC+ subscribers (August 18, 2023)
|-
| June 12, 2024 || 30% workforce reduction announced; Gaylor's full email published publicly
|-
| Late 2025 || VRChat mobile full release (iOS and Android)
|-
| March 2026 || VRChat breaks all-time concurrent user record: '''158,192''' users
|}