Here’s What You Need To Know About The ’Stranger Things’ Video Game Coming Soon

As fans patiently await the return of the Hawkins gang, Netflix recently revealed plans to bring forth a new game based on Stranger Things, proving that the sci-fi series' popularity is stronger than ever ahead of its Season 3 return, according to Variety. The streaming giant, who is reportedly teaming up with Telltale Games to produce the project for consoles and computers, intends to use the video games as part of their marketing and title promotion efforts for the show going forward.

The gaming series was initially set for launch alongside Season 2 of the hit Netflix show, but was postponed, according to a source for TechRadar. However, Variety indicates that Netflix launched a retro free-to-play “Stranger Things” mobile game from BonusXP to promote the Season 2 premiere last October.

In light of the recent news projecting the forthcoming Stranger Things game's future, Netflix shared a statement with TechRadar which explained:

"We don’t have any plans to get into gaming. There’s a broad spectrum of entertainment available today. Games have become increasingly cinematic, but we view this as interactive narrative storytelling on our service."

Telltale also issued a statement to Variety about its participation in the upcoming project. It read,

“We're thrilled to confirm that Telltale is developing a game based on Stranger Things that we'll publish to consoles and computers at a later date."

Telltale, the game developer also told Variety in a statement:

"Our partnership with Netflix is something we're incredibly proud of, and while we don't have anything more to share right now, we're excited to reveal details on these projects later in the year."

The new gaming experience appears to a part of a larger plan to grow the franchise's brand and visibility. Netflix and the show's creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, are also reportedly partnering with Universal Studios to create an amusement park experience that fans won't soon forget.

According to a press release about the project, the Stranger Things attraction, which is due to be unveiled this Fall as part of the park's Halloween Horror Nights, will feature a series of mazes (at Universal Hollywood, Orlando, and Singapore) that will transport guests into familiar scenes, allowing them to experience and brave the threatening atmospheres often experienced on the show. The mazes will reportedly be inspired by Stranger Things Season 1 and will also allow fans to encounter iconic moments and characters from the series. A teaser video for the project gives a front-row view of the Stranger Things Universal attraction.

With the upcoming third season of Stranger Things not expected to debut until sometime in 2019, fans of the sci-fi Netflix series have been scrambling to get their hands any and all information pertaining to the show and its return. Although Netflix hasn't announced a release date yet, Collider reported that the third season began filming on April 23.

Meanwhile, Deadline shares that the third season won’t pick right up where the second one left off. The outlet indicates that, much like the time-hop that the show experienced between the first two seasons, the storyline of Season 3 will jump a year into the future, finding itself in a world where a new evil threat will be introduced to the town of Hawkins. The Hollywood Reporter indicates that the show's executive producer Shawn Levy revealed that Season 3 will take place in summer of 1985 (following the fall setting in Season 2).

It's also been reported that Cary Elwes, Jake Busey, Maya Thurman-Hawke, and Francesca Reale have all signed on as newcomers for Season 3. Reale's introduction comes as particularly exciting news for fans since she will reportedly enter the show as Heather, a popular lifeguard at the Hawkins Community Pool, according to Variety. Although details surrounding the character, who will reportedly become major part of the show's mystery, remain unknown, it's quite possible that character could be introduced as a number that possesses special powers similar to those of Eleven and Eight (aka Kali) given her description.

While fans will have to wait to get more details on Stranger Things' forthcoming season, news that a video game is on its way comes as a great addition to the series' overall narrative.