Netflix has released a free-to-play VR game called Eden Unearthed for Oculus Quest. The game is available through App Lab, rather than through the Oculus Store, meaning the title hasn’t gone through the full Oculus review process and could be experimental or still in development.
The VR title is a video game tie-in to Netflix’s anime series Eden. Set in the world populated by robots only, the title does not offer much content beyond riding a futuristic motorbike while collecting fuel and unlocking small pieces of narrative.
The limited scope of the experience, as well as absence of any announcement from Netflix suggests that Eden Unearthed is, indeed, work in progress. Available though App Lab only, it cannot be found unless users are given the link or search for it by its exact name.
Nevertheless, the release, even if it’s early access, is significant in the context of Netflix’s increasingly active expansion into gaming. That Netflix is targeting Oculus should not come as a complete surprise. After all, Netflix’s newly hired vice president of game development Mike Verdu was Oculus’ vice president of augmented reality and virtual reality content.
Still, that’s a brand new development for the company whose foray into gaming has lately been limited to mobile. Last month, Netflix rolled out its Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3 titles on Android devices in Poland (and delisted Stranger Things 3 from PC stores).
As for Eden Unearthed, Netflix is credited both as the developer and publisher of the game. And that could be another sign of just how serious Netlfix is about its latest gaming offering: while the Netflix-published Stranger Things games were developed by studio Bonus XP, the streaming powerhouse seems to have since switched to in-house development.