Netflix sets June 30 launch for horror TV game Unhinged
Night School Studio’s interactive horror title is part of Netflix’s push to bring cloud-based games to television screens.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Netflix will release Unhinged, an interactive horror game from Night School Studio, on June 30, The Verge reported. The launch puts a darker, more cinematic title into Netflix’s expanding effort to let subscribers play cloud-based games on their televisions.
The game comes from the studio behind Oxenfree, the supernatural adventure game that helped define Night School’s reputation. Netflix bought Night School in 2021, according to The Verge, and the studio has since worked on Oxenfree II and smaller experiments, including a Black Mirror-related project.
Unhinged marks a sharper move into horror for the developer, The Verge reported. While Night School’s earlier work has used eerie or supernatural elements, the new game is described as a first-person experience centered on a young woman named Ava.
Netflix’s TV gaming effort has so far leaned on more accessible formats, including trivia and party games, along with a version of FIFA, according to The Verge. Unhinged appears to test whether the same television-first setup can work for a more intense genre.
Night School co-founder Sean Krankel told The Verge that the studio wanted the game to feel close to a television show or film. He said the team designed it for people who might want interactive horror without needing to master aiming, survival systems or ammunition management.
“We wanted to make sure that this could feel like a TV show or a movie,” Krankel told The Verge. “There are so many people out there who might love an interactive horror experience, but who don’t want to get good at aiming, survival mechanics, or rationing their ammunition.”
Krankel said the design choices were aimed at keeping the experience easy to control and approachable, according to The Verge. That approach fits Netflix’s broader attempt to make games available through the same living-room interface subscribers already use for movies and series.
The release will also give Netflix another way to show how its in-house game studios can support the service beyond mobile titles. With Unhinged, the company is pairing a known narrative-game developer with a format built for television play rather than conventional console sessions.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.