Night School Studio and Netflix Are Bringing Dual-Screen Horror to Your Living Room
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Netflix and Night School Studio are launching Unhinged, a thirty-minute horror game that uses your mobile phone as a dual-screen controller for your TV.
Netflix is expanding its gaming division in an unexpected direction with its upcoming release, Unhinged. Developed by Night School Studio, the Netflix-owned team best known for Oxenfree, the project is a thirty-minute horror story that launches on June 30. As reported by Polygon, the game streams directly through the Netflix app on your TV while you use your mobile device as a controller via the Netflix Game Controller app. Built in Unity and featuring a recognizable cast including Zoë Kravitz, Sadie Sink, and Troy Baker, the game delivers console-level visuals and heavy body horror reminiscent of recent Resident Evil titles.
The real hook here is the control scheme, which leans heavily into second-screen mechanics that bring back memories of the Wii U era. Instead of putting a traditional virtual gamepad on your mobile screen, the app turns your phone into an in-game device. You receive calls that audio play through your handset, read incoming text messages, and toggle a flashlight by pointing your phone at the television screen. It is a clever, diegetic approach that uses physical hardware to heighten tension, such as having your actual phone loudly ring in your hand while your character hides from a stalker.
While the narrative leans into familiar serial killer tropes, the release signals a clearer and more inventive identity for Netflix Games. Following recent casual releases like FIFA World Cup, Netflix is leaning into accessible, phone-driven inputs that do not require players to own a dedicated console gamepad. If Night School and other internal studios can continue building on this hardware synergy, Netflix might finally carve out a unique space in the living room ecosystem by capturing the casual, living room audience once targeted by Nintendo.
Source: Polygon
Tags: Netflix Games, Night School Studio, Cloud Gaming, Horror, Mobile Gaming
Original article: Polygon