Jaws: Infested Waters Shows the Potential of Future Roblox Releases
An upcoming Roblox experience brings new life to the classic thriller film.
A collaboration between Universal Products & Experiences and gaming and entertainment company Orange Comet was recently revealed, bringing the classic movie Jaws to the world of Roblox.
A new Roblox experience titled Jaws: Infested Waters is on the way, bringing both gameplay and production values to Roblox on a scale that has been seldom seen in Roblox activations. With the depth and immersion on deck in Jaws: Infested Waters, we could see a level of potential for IP crossover activations that shines a new light on what is possible on the platform.
In Jaws: Infested Waters, players are separated randomly into two groups for an asymmetrical multiplayer challenge. One player is selected to play as the titular shark, while the rest of the group gets to play as shark hunters. The latter group has to complete a list of objectives before fending off the shark itself, while the player in the Jaws role has to, well, do what Jaws would do.
While the game hasn’t fully launched just yet, a beta version is currently live and available to try out. A planned feature list on the Jaws: Infested Waters Roblox page includes the following details related to what players can expect from the full experience:
"Customize shark abilities, tail whip players across the map, battle underwater, collaborate with friends to complete missions, upgrade hunter load outs, [and] unlock exclusive items with the Sea Pass."
While the full experience has yet to launch, a trailer for Jaws: Infested Waters leverages Roblox's distinct visual style in a way that almost invokes the appeal of Lego video games in a way we rarely see, and shows the amount of care being given to the project.
If Orange Comet and Universal plan to utilize the experience’s Sea Pass to encourage player retention and longer-term engagement, this seems to indicate a strategy to explore Roblox as a platform for larger-scale gaming experiences than what it’s generally known for.
Plus, aside from showing what Roblox can do for gamers, there's also a lot of potential for what a project like this could do for older brands, even classic IP like Jaws. Considering the prolific film is from 1975 and the average Roblox user is under 16, part of the strategy could also be in finding new ways to attract younger audiences to canonized works. If a new Jaws movie isn't feasible, perhaps creating new fans with a community-oriented platform like Roblox will keep the original film in active circulation.
If this project does well, could we witness a sea change in the perception of Roblox as a platform for more premium-like gameplay experiences?
Time will tell, but since the Infested Waters beta is available now, there's no time like the present to try the experience for ourselves.