It was about a year ago that Netflix launched its mobile games app. Since then, the streaming service has acquired a handful of game studios and started working on some larger projects outside of the mobile space. Now we’ve seen one of them, and it’s a pretty obvious move that incorporates one of Netflix’s biggest hits: Stranger Things VR.
The official announcement trailer shows what we can expect from the experience. The main hook is that you’re playing as Vecna, the dream-invading villain from the show’s fourth season. The trailer, though brief, shows how players get to utilize Vecna’s psychic abilities to weave dreams and battle other monsters in the Upside Down. “Become an explorer of unknown realities as you form the hive mind and tame the void,” the trailer description reads. “Invade minds and conjure nightmares in your quest to enact revenge on Eleven and Hawkins.” Footage shows the player facing Eleven as well as the Demogorgon, whom viewers first met in the show’s debut season.
Stranger Things VR is a psychological horror/action game, which is very fitting considering the setting and gameplay concept. It’s being developed by Tender Claws, a studio with half a dozen projects under its belt. The game is “coming to major VR platforms in winter 2023,” and while that is a bit vague, we imagine the upcoming PlayStation VR 2 would be one good place to put it.
As mentioned, Netflix has been on a roll with acquiring studios ever since it announced its intention to get into the gaming space. One of the first major acquisitions was Night School Studio, the team behind Oxenfree and Afterparty. Just this March, it scooped up mobile studios Next Games and Boss Fight Entertainment. The former has developed mobile adaptations of licensed properties like The Walking Dead and Stranger Things, while the latter created the original title Dungeon Boss.
