Stranger Things & One Piece in Netflix's Roblox Metaverse
Metaverse
2-minute read
Netflix's ambition for the gaming market is well-covered, launching games featuring its intellectual properties (IP), such as Stranger Things, and acquiring several game developers over the years. However, with relatively few players, the titles felt more like promotional tools for its movies and television series, and the streaming giant has yet to create a genuinely fun service for gamers.
The company's latest move is to partner with Roblox to build a metaverse-like experience, "Nextworld,"—potentially its best avenue to connect with younger generations.
Nextworld is not just a hub for Netflix's gaming initiatives; it's akin to a digital theme park featuring characters, Easter eggs, and games based on different IPs. The company transformed some of the most popular series into Roblox experiences, including Stranger Things, One Piece, Rebel Moon, and the latest Jurassic World: Chaos Theory animation.
Netflix's beta experience has been live on Roblox since May 9, 2024, allowing fans to watch the shows as well as dive into the IP metaverse via playing the games on their phones.
Each experience is a mini-game with its unique world. Here's a quick look:
Stranger Things: Escape from Hawkins High
The school dance is abruptly interrupted, and players must work with friends (or solo) to collect tools and find a way out of the Upside Down version of Hawkins High. Caution is key, as making too much noise may attract the terrifying Demogorgon.
The sets are very impressive.
This Stranger Things game is genuinely scary, with a well-executed ambiance, earning a 75 user rating.
One Piece: East Blue Brawls
It's a multi-player fighting game where participants can choose from fan-favorite characters like Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, or Sanji, each with unique fighting styles and weapons. Players battle enemies to unlock combo skills and increase their bounty, with the highest bounties earning a spot on the leaderboard.
One Piece in Roblox after its live-action adaptation. (Source: Netflix)
The combat experience feels rough around the edges, in my opinion.
Rebel Moon: Outskirts Battles
This first-person shooter (FPS) game offers a more realistic style than the two aforementioned games. Players can side with their home planet or the rebels and engage in battlefield combat. Each team deathmatch lasts six minutes, during which players can customize their weapons and gears for battle.
It looks cool, but it seems like a ghost town because it is in beta, with few players around.
Netflix in Roblox?
Playing Stranger Things and One Piece in Roblox allows players to collect memorabilia for decorating their "Fan Pod"—a social area that can be private or open to friends. As players earn more "money" in Nextworld, they can expand the space or add UGC (user-generated content) collectibles, such as monster headgear from Stranger Things or flags from One Piece.
This Fan Space is quite bare for now.
There's also an area called "Streamship," envisioned as a 'Nextworld' hang-out for social events such as online watch parties—a great spot to chat and binge Netflix together.
Watching Netflix in Roblox sounds abstract for now.
Are you intrigued by Netflix's collaboration with Roblox in the metaverse gaming space? Facing the challenge of capturing the younger generation's attention, venturing into gaming is a bold move for Netflix. Nextworld has received mixed reviews thus far, but, to be fair, it's still in the testing phase. Let's wait and see how it evolves.
