Stranger Things VR is coming in late 2023 with one of VR’s most innovative development studios making the game in collaboration with Netflix.
Tender Claws is developing and publishing Stranger Things VR in partnership with series writers to explore Henry Creel’s transformation into the villain Vecna.
The game is described as featuring psychological horror and action “from the never-before-seen perspective of Vecna as he explores unknown realities, forms the hive mind, and enacts his plan for revenge against Eleven and Hawkins.” Stranger Things VR is coming to “major VR platforms” in late 2023 and was revealed in a trailer premiering on YouTube today.
Tender Claws is the studio behind some groundbreaking VR experiences including The Under Presents, The Tempest, and Virtual Virtual Reality games. Their use of live performance on Quest headsets in The Tempest was remarkable for demonstrating how a performer could manage ticketed shows in standalone VR while slipping into characters to tell one of Shakespeare’s stories. The developers routinely play with VR’s unique advantages over traditional mediums, toying with ideas like scale, jumping between realities, and telekinetic superpowers all mixed with a touch of existential dread. We’re extremely curious to see how their work develops with the writers of Stranger Things.
“We are awed that we get to live within the Stranger Things universe and dive into the rich inner worlds of its characters through Tender Claws’ unique approach to nested worlds and immersive dreamscapes,” said Tender Claws directors Samantha Gorman and Danny Cannizzaro in a joint prepared statement. “As fans, we want this game to be very special and we are energized by the support and enthusiasm we’ve received from Netflix and the Stranger Things creative team.”
We don’t have a lot more details about the project right now but Tender Claws did share the following description:
“Stranger Things VR will allow fans to experience the world of Stranger Things from the never-before-seen perspective of Vecna as he explores unknown realities, forms the hive mind, and enacts his plan for revenge against Eleven and Hawkins. Players will invade the dreams and memories of fan favorite characters and harness telekinetic powers to battle humans and creatures alike, as Henry Creel’s transformation into Vecna and his influence on the events of prior seasons is revealed.”
While “major VR platforms” is non-specific, we’ll note that PSVR 2 is slated for release in February while Meta has already started teasing Quest 3 for release late next year.
