Everything we know about Netflix Gaming
If you're a Netflix subscriber or are curious about becoming one and want to know all the details about what Netflix gaming is, here's everything we know.
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Netflix’s First VR Game Eden Unearthed Raises More Questions Than it Answers
Streaming behemoth Netflix first got involved in virtual reality (VR) years ago with its own dedicated app for watching its shows. While that app is sorely in need of an update or two, it has come to light this week that Netflix has very quietly released a videogame over on Oculus Quest’s App Lab, Eden Unearthed, a tie-in to anime series Eden. While it’s great that Netflix is showing a continued interest in VR – maybe thanks to Oculus veteran Mike Verdu joining the company – the launch is an unusual one due to the content and multiple app instances.
Eden launched back in May on the streaming service as a four-part series. Set in a future where mankind no longer walks the planet, instead, robots are the dominant lifeform, maintaining a lush green world whilst harvesting bio-fuel via apple orchards. However, a human girl named Sara appears and several robots take it upon themselves to raise her. Naturally, there are dark secrets to uncover in this idyllic utopia.
If you like anime then it’s well worth a watch but you may want to hold off playing Eden Unearthed. This is definitely one of those titles that’s more of an experience rather than a fully-fledged videogame. Sat on a bike, you can ride along pre-set routes collecting apples littered on the ground for fuel whilst occasionally coming across information points. These points fill in some of the backstory with actual clips but they also contain spoilers to the Netflix show, so it really depends on how bothered you are about this.
Once you’ve hit all those info points – it’ll probably take around five minutes to do so – there’s nothing else to do apart from riding around collecting apples. Not exactly much depth. Eden Unearthed feels more like an experiment, probably why it’s on App Lab. As you’d expect from Netflix the actual production qualities are excellent, the art style matches the show and the bike handles really well – you can easily adjust the handle placement for maximum comfort before heading off.
Just to add to the bizarre nature of the release, there are two versions on App Lab, both free, one seemingly released months ago. There’s Eden Unearthed App Lab which seems to have gained the most media attention, this notes a release date of 20th April 2021, a month before Eden actually arrived. Or then there’s Eden Unearthed which was released on 3rd August. They are two different versions v0.7 and v0.8 respectively but there doesn’t look to be any noticeable difference between the two. What those versions do suggest is the Eden Unearthed is still in development with the possibility of expansion.
In any case, both are freely available to download for your Oculus Quest. For further updates on Netflix’s VR plans, keep reading VRFocus.
Netflix Releases Free VR Game, Eden Unearthed, On App Lab For Oculus Quest
Netflix has released a VR game called Eden Unearthed on App Lab for Oculus Quest, available now for free.
The release has come as a surprise, with very little (if any) available info outside the App Lab listing. Netflix is listed as both the publisher and developer of the title on App Lab, which also has a April 21 release date listed as well. App Lab apps are not indexed in the same manner as Oculus Store titles, meaning that they can essentially be published without anyone else knowing if nobody is given the App Lab link.
Whether the April release date is an admin error or the app has been unlisted since then, it’s definitely available now and it’s entirely free. If you’d like to view a trailer, head over to the App Lab listing and take a look.
We jumped into the game and played for around 15 minutes. While I’m not any clearer on what exactly this VR project from Netflix is, I am definitely impressed with what seems to be an experience of limited scope but high polish, immersion and comfort.
The game is set in the far future, in a world without humans, organized solely by robots. You take control of a futuristic motorbike and ride around a vast and changing landscape, collecting apples as fuel and avoiding obstacles to try max out your speed without bumping into anything. At various points along the track, you pull up beside a landmark and receive a short burst of narration to advance the story, alongside visuals on a small portable screen from your bike.
It’s a very loose story and game structure — while you’re clearly following some form of narrative, you can also ride along the track for as long as possible and compete for a global high score by traveling as far as you can before you run out of fuel.
The experience is clearly meant to be simple and perhaps educational, while also giving you a fun mechanic — the motorbike — to toy around with. Luckily, the bike controls really well and is super thrilling to pilot at high speeds. It’s a very intuitive and clear control system, which has also clearly been designed with comfort in mind. The motorbike ‘cockpit’ in front of you goes a long way to quell motion sickness, as does the subtle vignetting when turning sharp corners.
Even after 15 or so minutes playing through Eden Unearthed, it’s hard to gauge the project’s scope and aim, but it feels somewhere between a game, immersive narrative and educational tool.
It could perhaps be the first of many upcoming VR projects from Netflix — former Facebook VR Content Head Mike Verdu is now with Netflix, as is producer Shonda Rhimes, who could be getting in on VR projects as well.
Eden Unearthed is available for Oculus Quest via App Lab. Keep an eye out for more news and info to come.
Netflix Releases Free VR Game, Eden Unearthed, On App Lab For Oculus Quest
Netflix has released a VR game called Eden Unearthed on App Lab for Oculus Quest, available now for free.
The release has come as a surprise, with very little (if any) available info outside the App Lab listing. Netflix is listed as both the publisher and developer of the title on App Lab, which also has a April 21 release date listed as well. App Lab apps are not indexed in the same manner as Oculus Store titles, meaning that they can essentially be published without anyone else knowing if nobody is given the App Lab link.
Whether the April release date is an admin error or the app has been unlisted since then, it’s definitely available now and it’s entirely free. If you’d like to view a trailer, head over to the App Lab listing and take a look.
We jumped into the game and played for around 15 minutes. While I’m not any clearer on what exactly this VR project from Netflix is, I am definitely impressed with what seems to be an experience of limited scope but high polish, immersion and comfort.
The game is set in the far future, in a world without humans, organized solely by robots. You take control of a futuristic motorbike and ride around a vast and changing landscape, collecting apples as fuel and avoiding obstacles to try max out your speed without bumping into anything. At various points along the track, you pull up beside a landmark and receive a short burst of narration to advance the story, alongside visuals on a small portable screen from your bike.
It’s a very loose story and game structure — while you’re clearly following some form of narrative, you can also ride along the track for as long as possible and compete for a global high score by traveling as far as you can before you run out of fuel.
The experience is clearly meant to be simple and perhaps educational, while also giving you a fun mechanic — the motorbike — to toy around with. Luckily, the bike controls really well and is super thrilling to pilot at high speeds. It’s a very intuitive and clear control system, which has also clearly been designed with comfort in mind. The motorbike ‘cockpit’ in front of you goes a long way to quell motion sickness, as does the subtle vignetting when turning sharp corners.
Even after 15 or so minutes playing through Eden Unearthed, it’s hard to gauge the project’s scope and aim, but it feels somewhere between a game, immersive narrative and educational tool.
It could perhaps be the first of many upcoming VR projects from Netflix — former Facebook VR Content Head Mike Verdu is now with Netflix, as is producer Shonda Rhimes, who could be getting in on VR projects as well.
Eden Unearthed is available for Oculus Quest via App Lab. Keep an eye out for more news and info to come.
Feeling the VR Arcade Fever in Viva Las Vengeance
Zombies, ugly, snarling corpses of rotting flesh that have managed to ingrain themselves in popular culture over the last few decades to such an extent that we’ve all played a videogame or watched a movie with one in. The most recent was director Zack Snyder’s Netflix collaboration Army of the Dead, dropping folks into a ravaged Las Vegas for some wall-to-wall action. And if you loved the movie then you’ll probably want to check out Viva Las Vengeance, the virtual reality (VR) experience tied to the film.
Just like its cinematic cousin Viva Las Vengeance is all about that wild (theme park-style) ride, where explosions and rampaging hordes of the undead fill in those annoying gaps left by a lack of plot. But in a VR experience that lasts around 30 minutes is that necessarily a concern? For the most part not at all, as long as you know what you’re in for.
The location-based entertainment (LBE) industry was hit hard by the pandemic as it was really starting to shine beforehand, attracting VR studios who were looking for alternative revenue streams. With things now settling and getting back to normal, everyone’s interested in getting out again making VR arcades an attractive escape for those after a modern entertainment experience.
And that’s really what you do get with Army of the Dead: Viva Las Vengeance, plenty of tech and an all-encompassing journey that does try to ground you in the whole setup; even if it is somewhat cheesy at points.
Up to six players can enjoy the VR experience at once, with the core gameplay section held within a modified taco truck with bars on the windows for your protection. In actuality, this is one of those 4D, hyper-reality simulators with wind, heat and rumbling floor effects for that truly immersive setup.
Before you get anywhere near the taco truck you’ve got to jump through a few setup hoops first, some more unusual than others. For instance, it’s not often that these kinds of LBE titles will give you a gun selection, let alone accessories. But in Viva Las Vengeance you get to select between a shotgun for close-range power or an assault rifle that’s great for popping heads at a distance or exploding a few barrels. This is where teamwork already comes into play. For this early test, there was only two of us, one on either side of the truck. Armed with the rifle it didn’t need reloading but there were points where it seemingly overheated and stopped, so a teammate with a shotgun next to me would’ve been really nice.
After the loadout selection comes the cheesy military briefing, telling you why you’re there and what you need to accomplish. It really was just background noise as we attached a couple of OptiTrack sensors to our hands. That was all that was required as there’s no running around a big space. In actuality the taco truck setup meant four were employed at the same time, allowing for an efficient rotation of guests at the Westfield London location.
Inside the truck, there were Valve Index headsets and StrikerVR guns to give that nice recoil effect. Alas, the build-up of excitement didn’t quite match the gameplay experience on offer. Because as you might expect from a taco truck driving through a zombie-filled Las Vegas, its point, shoot and repeat for about 10-15 minutes.
If this were a VR videogame at home you’d play it once, get bored and want a refund. However, this being a VR arcade experience it needs to be viewed as a whole, combining those additional effects, the gun and the physicality of it all. In which case Viva Las Vengeance is a short, sharp dose of exciting VR you can’t get elsewhere.
When there are zombies climbing all over the truck, reaching through the bars which I’m trying to shoot but made all the more difficult because the floor is rumbling away putting my balance off it, quickly becomes very engrossing. And it should for that time duration, intense yet fulfilling enough that everyone leaves with a grin. Plus you can all compare your scores afterwards as well as pose for the obligatory group shot with a superimposed Army of the Dead background for good measure.
I’d class Viva Las Vengeance as an above-average LBE VR experience but certainly not one of the best. It’s ideal for those new to VR as the coordination required is minimal, you stand or sit in one spot shooting zombies out the window with an occasional waft of wind to the face. Those more experienced in VR who’ve tried the free-roaming options available at other locations may find this a little limited in scope. Don’t set your expectations too high and bring some mates to enjoy Army of the Dead in VR.
Facebook Head of AR/VR Content Mike Verdu to Lead Netflix’s Push into Gaming
A report from The Information back in May maintained that video streaming giant Netflix was getting ready to push beyond TV and film, and was actively approaching candidates to oversee its expansion into gaming. As first reported by Bloomberg, that position is falling to Mike Verdu, former head of AR/VR content at Facebook Reality Labs and one-time chief of mobile games at EA.
Verdu is said to take on the role of VP of game development at Netflix, reporting to company COO Greg Peters.
Citing someone familiar with the situation, Bloomberg reports that Netflix will offer games on its streaming platform within the next year. Games are said to be included in the service’s monthly price, and will supposedly be hosted alongside streaming video content.
Verdu joined Facebook in 2019 during a reorganization of Oculus, which saw multiple executives shuffled throughout the company. Verdu replaced Jason Rubin, who at the time went on to head special gaming initiatives for Facebook.
During his time as Facebook’s head of AR/VR content, Verdu oversaw multiple studio acquisitions, including Beat Games (Beat Saber), Sanzaru Games (Asgard’s Wrath and others), Ready at Dawn (Lone Echo and Echo Arena), Downpour Interactive (Onward), and BigBox VR (Population: One). Those acquisitions spanned a year and a half, marking a significant push by Facebook to consolidate talent behind some of the medium’s most successful gaming properties.
Under Verdu, Facebook’s VR gaming celebrated a milestone of 60+ Oculus Quest apps exceeding $1 million in revenue, which was no doubt spurred by the 2020 release of the company’s second-gen standalone headset, Oculus Quest 2.
The post Facebook Head of AR/VR Content Mike Verdu to Lead Netflix’s Push into Gaming appeared first on Road to VR.
Netflix could add games to its platform within the next year
Netflix has hired a key figure in the gaming industry and could start offering games to subscribers within the next year and at no extra cost.
Prolific Producer Shonda Rhimes Could Make VR Content For Netflix
Prolific producer and Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes could expand her work into VR content at Netflix.
Rhimes and Netflix are extending a content relationship with Rhimes’ Shondaland Media after the original partnership ironed out in 2017 helped break records this year for the streaming company with 82 million households tuning in within the first month to Shondaland’s steamy show Bridgerton. The show is already renewed through season four with spin-offs planned as well and more content in the works at Netflix.
Shondaland’s other shows include Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and the new deal with Netflix extends the partnership to “exclusively produce, stream and distribute feature films as well potential gaming and virtual reality content.”
Netflix offers a VR app for its streaming service on Oculus Quest and has dabbled in VR over the years. Companies like Disney alongside tools like Epic’s Unreal Engine have also made enormous progress over the last few years incorporating VR headsets into production workflows that allow creators to scout their shots and see virtual sets more quickly, but for at-home viewers streaming services have hit a bit of a wall when it comes to the viewing experience.
You can’t sit down with friends and easily watch new episodes of The Mandalorian or The Witcher just yet, for example, though there are some ways to watch some content with friends in VR already with services like Bigscreen. Plus, headset weight, comfort and battery limitations make it difficult to binge-watch content that services like Netflix are heavily leaning into.
That all could change in the coming months and years, however, as more comfortable headsets debut and major platform companies like Facebook seek to partner with streaming services for new experiences that erase some of the barriers that held back the experience in the past.