New Stranger Things Video Game Will Let You Play As A Fan Favorite Character
Gamers will have the chance to become Vecna in the upcoming Stranger Things video game adaptation.
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Netflix has decided to dab into the world of video games once again with the Stranger Things IP, announcing the Stranger Things VR gaming experience, which is scheduled to launch on all major virtual reality platforms in Winter 2023. This is most likely going to include the PSVR2 VR headset for Sony PlayStation 5, which is due to release early next year as well. According to IGN, the upcoming Stranger Things game will let gamers play as villainous Vecna and invade minds and conjure nightmares in their quest to enact revenge on Eleven and Hawkins.
Stranger Things is yet another gaming title whose installments are joining the ever-growing roster of VR games. At this point, these are the only known details about the upcoming game’s narrative, but given the popularity of the franchise, more details are bound to surface as the development progresses. The game was revealed during the Stranger Things celebrations with a short teaser trailer that depicts Eleven, demogorgons, and a ticking grandfather clock.
The recently announced Stranger Things VR is developed by Tender Claws. They are a gaming studio known for working on previous virtual reality games, such as Virtual Reality 1 and 2, The Under Presents, Tempest, Tender, and George in the Tub. The studio VR performance in Tempest was particularly remarkable, but that isn’t actually that surprising coming from a studio that routinely plays with VR’s unique advantages over traditional medium, toying with the ideas of massive scales, jumping through different realities, and a good spoonful of existential dread.
It’s interesting to imagine how the upcoming game will fit the overall tonality of the Stranger Things franchise, which actually isn’t a stranger to video games, either. The fandom has already received one Stranger Things VR experience before, and there are several mobile games, Stranger Things 3: The Game — which was released for both mobile and consoles — and the canceled Stranger Things game from the now-defunct Telltale Games.
Meanwhile, the streaming show’s fifth and final season won’t arrive until 2024. And considering the number of delays plaguing the gaming industry at the moment, it’s entirely possible for Stranger Things VR to tie into the fifth season in ways than just narratively. Of course, that’s only speculation at this point, considering that both the series and the game have received very broad release windows but not any precise release dates.
As to the question of if we’ll see any additional games once the Stranger Things series ends, well, the universe of Stranger Things is apparently vast — at least according to the Duffer Brothers. So, it’s quite possible for other types of entertainment media to either continue the narrative of the television show or just bring a whole slew of tie-in titles that would expand the existing universe. And for the impatient fans waiting for the fifth season, the franchise already has a number of video games worth revisiting. Stranger Things VR is scheduled to release in Winter 2023 for all major VR platforms — regardless of how vague that actually sounds.
