Stranger Things
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Netflix offers a collection of original movies and shows for free
Over the last year, Netflix has faced increasing competition from streaming newcomers like Disney+, so the company is taking the somewhat surprising step of giving away some original content for free. Starting today, you can visit a “watch free” page without logging in to Netflix to watch shows and movies including Bird Box, Stranger Things, Grace and Frankie, The Two Popes and a handful of others. In the past, Netflix has occasionally offered a movie or show for free as a preview — the hit rom-com To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was available to anyone for about a month, and more recently the company put a bunch of documentaries out for free on its YouTube channel for educators and students.
A drive-through 'Stranger Things' experience in LA is coming in October
There’s an upcoming Stranger Things interactive experience in LA that seems to be tailor-made for the social-distancing era. Netflix has teamed up with event curator Fever and immersive event company Secret Cinema to launch a Drive-Into Stranger Things adventure based on the third season of the series. Participants don’t have to step out of the car at all — the hour-long experience will have them driving from one Hawkins set to another, including the Starcourt Mall, the Russian labs and, of course, the Upside Down.
'The Mandalorian' scores a best drama Emmy nomination for Disney+
Netflix dominated the list of nominees and, uh, Quibi got 10 nods.
First ‘Stranger Things 4’ teaser moves the action far from Hawkins
As a Valentine's Day present to fans, the Stranger Things 4 teaser dropped this morning. "From Russia with love..." the show's Twitter account posted. The 50-second clip opens on a snowy Russian landscape where prisoners, watched by armed guards, are assembling railroad tracks. And, oh snap, one of those captives is a clean-shaven, Jim Hopper, who it seems will go by "American."
'Stranger Things' pinball machine melds two forms of '80s nostalgia
If watching Stranger Things has inspired you to look for '80s-era gaming, your search might be over. Stern Pinball has introduced a Stranger Things pinball table that, like the Netflix show, blends nostalgia with 21st century technology. Your quest is to unravel the supernatural mysteries of Hawkins and defeat the Demogorgon (complete with a model on the field), but it's how you get there that matters -- the table has a modern feature or two that helps it stand out from the crowd.
'Stranger Things' is coming to 'Rocket League' for Halloween
Rocket League's annual Halloween event is about to get underway and this year, it'll be a crossover with Stranger Things. The Farmstead Arena will take on a distinctly Upside Down vibe, and the Netflix mega-hit's terrifying Mind Flayer will cast an ominous shadow over the field. It's not quite clear yet how or if the monster will affect your attempts to score goals, but Psyonix warned players to "make sure to look after your teammates."
'Stranger Things' VFX artists show how imploding rats came to life
Stranger Things 3 packed plenty of punch, not least because of the horrifying monsters that terrorized the residents of Hawkins. A great deal of work went into the creatures and the rest of the season's visuals, and VFX house Rodeo FX has released a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the effects came into shape. The videos spoil some of the season's more impressive shots, so you might want to hold off if you haven't finished Stranger Things 3 yet.
Netflix renews 'Stranger Things' for a fourth season
To the surprise of almost no one, Netflix has renewed the enormously successful Stranger Things for a fourth season. Judging by the teaser video, it seems the series' core setting might not be long for this world. It tells us "We're not in Hawkins anymore" while ominous Upside Down-style fauna engulfs a "Welcome to Hawkins" sign and the show's logo. Creepy.
Netflix nabs new project with ‘Stranger Things’ star Millie Bobby Brown
Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown and her sister, Paige Brown, have a new project underway at Netflix. The streaming service announced today that it is developing A Time Lost, a feature film based on an original story written by the sisters. The story is about a feud between two Long Island families that comes to a head when one of the daughters is diagnosed with cancer.
'Stranger Things 3: The Game' arrives on iOS and Android
Stranger Things 3: The Game arrived on consoles and PC alongside the third season of Netflix's hit sci-fi/horror show earlier this summer. Now you can get in on the pixellated fun on iOS and Android too.
'Dark Crystal: Tactics' and the evolution of Netflix's video game strategy
Stranger Things was Netflix's first experiment with making video games. Developed by Texas studio BonusXP, the Stranger Things mobile game came out in October 2017, and it was a basic, accessible experience for anyone even vaguely familiar with the franchise, regardless of their gaming prowess. Stranger Things garnered 3 million downloads in its first week, and it set the stage for Netflix to get excited about -- and throw money at -- video games. Since then, the studio has released a sequel, Stranger Things 3: The Game, which is essentially an expanded, isometric take on the same formula, but built for consoles instead of smartphones.
Stranger Things' Demogorgon will be a playable killer in 'Dead by Daylight'
Dead by Daylight has added a string of major horror franchises to its lineup over the last few years, including Left 4 Dead, Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw and Evil Dead. You can add another big series to that list, as you'll soon be able to play as several Stranger Things characters.
Apple renews ‘Carpool Karaoke’ for a third season
America's road trip with James Corden and his celebrity guests isn't over yet. Apple has renewed the CBS-produced Carpool Karaoke for a third season, reported Variety. The short-form singalong show was the tech giant's first original series on Apple Music (since moved to Apple TV), and so far has been a hit with viewers. Corden earlier this week racked up three Emmy nominations for his role in the web series spin-off, which began as a segment on The Late Late Show.
'Game of Thrones' and Amazon's 'Mrs. Maisel' lead Emmy nominations
The Television Academy has revealed this year's Emmy nominations and to absolutely no one's surprise, Game of Thrones scooped up the most nods with 32, including Outstanding Drama Series and 10 nominees across various acting categories. The show with the second-highest tally of nominations is Amazon Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with 20. It won several awards last year, including the top Outstanding Comedy Series prize. It's nominated again in that category.
Recommended Reading: The legacy of female players in 'FIFA'
How female characters in FIFA led to a diversity movement at EA Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat Discussions on diversity and equal pay have taken over in the week following the 2019 Women's World Cup, especially in the US. EA game designer Katie Scott explains how her work on FIFA's "The Journey" story mode lead to improving representation of female characters -- work that eventually kickstarted company-wide change.
Google placed 'Stranger Things' AR ads in 'The New York Times'
If you see advertisements for a mall that look like they came straight out of the '80s on today's print edition of The New York Times, fire up Google Lens. Those neon-colored ads are most likely for Starcourt, the fictional Hawkins, Indiana mall that serves as the backdrop for some of Stranger Things 3's most heart-pumping scenes. Google has been teaming up with magazines and museums to place digital information, which you can only see through its Lens technology, on top of real-world objects. This partnership with NYT and Netflix is no different.
'Stranger Things 3' has been seen by over 40 million Netflix accounts
Remember when it was a big deal that Bright racked up 11 million viewers? That's now quaint by comparison. Netflix has revealed that 40.7 million accounts have watched Stranger Things 3 in the four days since its July 4th premiere, making it the most-viewed show of any kind on the service in that time frame. And many in that audience were determined to finish the season before they returned to work -- 18.2 million have already completed the entire season.
Microsoft's Windows 1.0 announcement was about 'Stranger Things'
Microsoft set the internet abuzz last week when it made a cryptic announcement about the "all-new" Windows 1.0 -- and now we know why. As we'd already speculated, it's all about Stranger Things. To celebrate the return of the show -- set in 1985, Microsoft's banner year -- the company is launching the Windows 1.11 app. It features classic Paint and Terminal programs, as well as Stranger Things-themed puzzles and exclusive content. No floppy disk required.
After Math: 'Murica
Now that the 4th of July festivities are winding down, let's take a look back at the most American stories Engadget ran this week.
'Stranger Things' x 'Fortnite' crossover adds a couple of skins
Netflix's release of Stranger Things 3 has brought along an unprecedented number of marketing tie-ins, which include a link to Fortnite. Some familiar-looking teleporters popped up in the game's mall area yesterday to join already-included Scoops Ahoy ice cream powerups, and tonight Epic announced the full details of their crossover. Unfortunately, unlike the Avengers: Endgame and John Wick collaborations, there doesn't appear to be any kind of new limited-time game mode. Instead, as expected, there are a couple of new skins available allowing players to take on the appearance of Chief Hopper or the Demogorgon (that cost 1,500 and 1,200 "v bucks" respectively), plus a "Vines" weapon wrap. If anything else appears in-game, let us know -- but no spoilers, not everyone has finished season three yet.
