As soon as virtual reality picked up momentum in the gaming world, our immediate thoughts went to horror games and how it could bring a new level to the genre. One of the staples that’s had YouTubers screaming, breaking down the lore, and somehow captured the hearts of children everywhere is Five Nights at Freddy’s and according to a now-removed ESRB rating, it could be coming to VR soon, specifically the PlayStation VR system.
According to Bloody Disgusting, a recently posted listing was made for Five Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted on the ESRB website for the PSVR with a T for Teen rating. Upon investigation, we could not find the listing for this particular title, no were there any results for the other games in the franchise. If the screen capture posted by Bloody Disgusting is to be believed, then the listing may have been taken down once fans jumped onto it. Fans of Five Nights at Freddy’s, especially those looking for lore, are known to pick apart the most minute details and even the creator of the game Scott Cawthon has been known to leave breadcrumbs in weird places for players to find. Back in November, it was revealed that console ports of the series are planned, as well as a then-unnamed bigger budget title.
Of course, this leak was shared on Reddit where an archive of the image can be found. According to that page, a description of the game was attached that explained what to expect.
“This is a VR puzzle/horror game in which players assume the role of a repair person tasked with monitoring/repairing animatronic characters at a pizzeria. From a first-person perspective, players explore dark hallways, complete puzzles, and try to avoid menacing, malfunctioning animatronic figures. The game contains frequent screams and jump scares, with the words “You Are Dead” appearing on screen after players are attacked.”
Most of the Five Nights at Freddy’s series is played in first-person but focused more on clicking various items on screen rather than mechanics found in a typical shooter. This game could see players actually interacting with items in the game’s world in a more direct way that hasn’t been explored prior. It would be cool to see the interactivity of Job Simulator injected into a horror title like this.
One major criticism cropping up is the worry that Help Wanted could be a PSVR exclusive. This would be strange since the entire series typically launches on PC first. However, there could be a Sony-driven deal at work that could be huge for the developer and bring players (particularly young ones) to the platform. An easy prediction would put a timed exclusivity for PSVR with a Vive and Occulus release later on. Most games follow a year or two-year exclusive deal like how Tomb Raider came to PS4 after only being on the Xbox One for a time.
A quick look at Scott Cawthon’s website and social media pages reveal no further details, but the developer has been known to hide things in the site’s coding.
If Help Wanted does exist, it could be one of the more interesting horror games on the PSVR system. I personally just picked up a unit and look forward to checking out what I’ve been missing out on so expect to see more PSVR content here on Marooners’ Rock.
