Season 7 of “Black Mirror” premiered on Thursday, introducing a new mobile game connected to one of its episodes.
The game, titled “Thronglets,” from Netflix’s own Night School Studio, serves as a companion to the episode called “Plaything.”
Players interact with virtual yellow pets and strive to keep them alive. If players are successful in caring for their pets, the creatures will replicate, making it increasingly challenging to keep up with their needs. The creatures can also gather resources, develop technologies, explore new areas, and unlock tools and buildings to progress more quickly.
While it may initially resemble innocent games like Tamagotchi, the beings in Thronglets are decidedly more twisted. They are sentient and communicate directly with the player. For example, when the player chops down trees using an axe, a creature might realize that bones are more effective than an axe and require less time. Consequently, the player must decide whether to sacrifice some creatures for their bones to speed up the process.
Netflix’s gaming strategy to date has lacked focus, but the company more recently said it would direct its energy on four types of games going forward. These include narrative games tied to Netflix shows, as well as gaming titles for kids, party games, and potential mainstream hits. The latter could include licensed tie-ins to shows and originals.
The new “Black Mirror”-themed game is currently available for Netflix subscribers on both iOS and Android devices.
Although Netflix has occasionally launched games inspired by its IP, this is the first time we’ve seen a game that is directly tied to the narrative of a specific episode.
Thronglets launches amid the company revamping its gaming strategy, having previously been scatterbrained about the titles it releases. Netflix has released a mix of indie games, popular existing titles, and games based on its IP.
However, not all titles have been successful, leading to the recent cancellation of Netflix Stories, a narrative-driven game featuring shows like “Love Is Blind.”
Speaking at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), vice president of games technology and portfolio development Jeet Shroff stated that the company is now focusing on four main areas: narrative games, multiplayer party games, games for kids, and mainstream titles.
Thronglets falls into the mainstream category, making it a clever decision for the streaming giant to create a game based on one of its most popular shows. Another example of a mainstream release is Squid Game: Unleashed, which has reportedly reached 20 million downloads, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
