Netflix is stepping up its push into gaming with the launch of Unhinged, a new horror title designed to pull streaming viewers into interactive entertainment.

The game, which launches on June 30, is the first original horror game from Netflix and has been developed by Night School Studio, the Netflix-owned team behind Oxenfree.

Unlike traditional console games, Unhinged is played on a TV through Netflix, with a smartphone used as the controller.

Players use their phone to operate a flashlight, interact with objects and receive calls and text messages that form part of the story.

Netflix is pitching the first-person game, which is set in an abandoned apartment building during a Category 5 hurricane, as a low-barrier entry point for subscribers who may not normally play games.

The experience is designed to last around 30 to 45 minutes, closer to the length of a TV episode than a full-scale video game.

Sean Krankel, Netflix’s head of narrative games, said the aim is to encourage users who arrive on Netflix to watch shows or films to try interactive content and then explore more games on the service.

The launch comes as Netflix continues to refine its gaming strategy after entering the market in 2021. The company has struggled to drive mass engagement with games, despite offering them to subscribers at no extra cost.

Under gaming boss Alain Tascan, a former Epic Games executive, Netflix has been focusing on formats that better suit its platform, including short-form narrative titles, family games and TV-based experiences controlled by mobile devices.

Unhinged also signals a shift away from mobile-only gaming, with Netflix hoping that living-room titles using phones as controllers may better fit how subscribers already use the service.

The title will be available exclusively to Netflix subscribers with no ads or in-game purchases.