Draft:Stress Level Zero
Submission declined on 30 August 2024 by DoubleGrazing (talk).
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|  |
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 26, 2014 |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | Los Angeles, US |
Key people |
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| Products | |
Number of employees | 20 (2024) |
| Website | www |
Stress Level Zero is an American indie video game developer company focused on virtual reality experiences. Founded in 2014 by Brandon Laatsch and Alex Knoll, the company is headquartered in Los Angeles and is best known for the physics shooter Boneworks and its successor Bonelab.
History
[edit]Following Brandon Laatsch's departure from RocketJump, himself and Alex Knoll co-founded Stress Level Zero, spurred by a desire to create video games and experiences for the emerging virtual reality industry.
In 2016, following the release of their first title Hover Junkers, Chinese game publisher FunPlus invested an undisclosed amount of venture capital in Stress Level Zero.[1] In 2020, Stress Level Zero attracted investment from early stage venture capital firm Transcend Fund as part of their first fund, with Transcend becoming the sole investor in the studio.[2]
Games Developed
[edit]Hover Junkers
[edit]Developed as a launch title for the HTC Vive and subsequently released on the 6th of April 2016[3], Hover Junkers is a multiplayer VR first-person shooter with optional co-op, set in a futuristic, post apocalyptic world where you fortify hovering ships to fight against other players in lobbies of up to three other ships, with game modes consisting of free-for-all (1v1v1v1 and 2v2v2v2), and team versus team (1+1v1+1 and 2+2v2+2). The development of the title was extensively covered in DevLogs on the BrandonJLa youtube channel[4], and later during developer livestreams hosted on Twitch.
Duck Season
[edit]Set in a suburban living room during the late 1980s, the game takes inspiration from classic light gun shooters, most notably Duck Hunt, and employs a meta-narrative that blurs the line between fiction and reality. Players assume the role of a young boy who's mother has rented a seemingly harmless duck-hunting VHS game for his home console; as the experience unfolds, a sinister presence emerges, transforming the nostalgic setting into a tense psychological ordeal. The title was released on September 15th, 2017[5] and was well received by audiences garnering a "Very positive" rating on steam, noted for its blend of interactive storytelling, branching narrative paths, and hidden endings, as well as for employing full motion video segments that enhance its vintage aesthetic.
Duck Season was later adapted to be a non-VR PC title and released on Steam on the 18th of June 2019.[6] Although the core gameplay mechanics were streamlined to accommodate traditional mouse-and-keyboard or controller inputs, the PC port retained the game’s core storyline, atmospherics, and secret-laden structure.
The title was also the first game from the studio to begin establishing story elements of an alternate shared universe that would later be used in the story and development of Boneworks and Bonelab.
Boneworks
[edit]Released in 2019[7], Boneworks is a virtual reality action-adventure and physics sandbox game, renowned for its realistic physics-based interactions and highly immersive VR playground that melds combat, puzzle-solving, and platforming. Set within a futuristic virtual reality operating system called Myth OS, players navigate complex environments, engage with a variety of weapons, and manipulate the game world filled with interactive objects that offer realistic weight and momentum. Beyond its innovative gameplay, Boneworks contains a narrative that rewards exploration and reveals deeper lore embedded in the virtual worlds it presents.
Bonelab
[edit]Released in 2022[8], Bonelab is a follow-up to Boneworks, continuing the studio’s emphasis on advanced VR physics and expanded player agency. Its campaign introduces new environments, challenges, and sandbox elements, while providing improved mod support that encourages community-generated content. Bonelab’s storyline further develops the mythos of the Myth OS and its underlying systems, linking characters, events, and concepts from Boneworks into a more cohesive narrative fabric. By building upon the original’s innovations, Bonelab refines the tactile VR experience and broadens the thematic depth of its virtual universe.
References
[edit]- ^ Takahashi, Dean (2016-08-02). "FunPlus invests in Hover Junkers creator Stress Level Zero". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ^ "Brett Krause on LinkedIn: #gaming #startup #venturecapital #slz #transcend". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ^ "Hover Junkers on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ^ "Hover Junkers". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ^ "Duck Season on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ^ "Duck Season PC on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ^ "BONEWORKS on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ^ "BONELAB on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
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