Big news for fans of Stranger Things, a new Stranger Things mobile game is in development from Finnish studio Next Games, and it looks like it's going to cater to the Pokemon Go fans in the crowd too. According to both a press release and an E3 panel that occurred on Wednesday, June 19, the new mobile game will utilize the location-based technology to bring the world of the Upside Down to life, whether or not you actually live in Indiana. The new game is due out in 2020, it will take a while but even so, the excitement about the game is high, especially since Stranger Things' third season is set to drop in less than a month.
"We are excited to be partnering with Next Games out of Helsinki, Finland, who have crafted this RPG/puzzle hybrid game that has location-based technology," said Netflix's director of interactive games, Chris Lee, at E3 (via IGN), "meaning that no matter where you are at in the world, you can fight and battle against the Upside Down, even in your own backyard."
Added Next Games CEO Teemu Huuhtanen in the press release, "We are huge fans of Stranger Things and thrilled to work together with Netflix to bring our shared vision of Stranger Things into life in a mobile game format."
Stranger Things has been a phenomenon ever since its first season in 2016, and it's only grown in popularity since then. In addition to a second season, which dropped in 2017, and an upcoming third seasons set to debut on July 4,2019, it's also has a wide and varied tie-ins as tabletop games, novels and LEGO sets, not to mention all of the pop culture parodies and fan riffs and memes that have come to life.
The upcoming mobile game from Next Games, looks to be completely different. Details are pretty scarce right now because the game is still in development, but according to Huunhtanen, the core focus of their efforts will be to deliver on Stranger Things' rich and intense themes like friendship and supernatural adventure and translate these into snack-sized entertainment on your mobile device.
According to the press release, Next Games' take on Stranger Things will be a location-based puzzle RPG which will allow players to explore the Upside Down hidden around them in their daily travels and work with fellow fans to fight back its emerging evils. It is not yet known whether it will include any augmented reality elements, but odds are good that it will. The game will utilize Google Maps for its real-world integration.
