… It might just change TV forever…
Netflix’s Black Mirror has never shied away from bending the rules of reality — or storytelling. But with the release of Season 7’s episode “Plaything,” the anthology series just raised the bar again, this time by collapsing the wall between the viewer and the screen. For the first time in Black Mirror history, fans can play one of the show’s darkest inventions as they watch the story unfold — and it’s every bit as unsettling as you’d expect.
Meet Thronglets, the seemingly innocent digital pets at the heart of “Plaything,” a twisted spiritual sequel to the 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch. While the episode centers on a video game journalist played by both Lewis Gribben and Peter Capaldi drawn into the strange legacy of the infamous developer Colin Ritman as Will Poulter returns in the role, you can now take part in the story through the real Thronglets game, available on mobile app stores and included with Netflix.
Get Into The Game
What starts out as a pixel-perfect nostalgia trip — think Tamagotchi meets The Sims — quickly evolves into something far more sinister. In the episode, the thronglets aren’t just code — they’re a sentient “species” desperate to escape digital confinement. As your in-game relationship with these charming creatures deepens, so too does the dread: they watch, they remember, and they grow.
Created by Netflix’s Night School Studio, the Thronglets game is not just a clever tie-in — it’s a fully fleshed-out experience. Studio lead Sean Krankel describes it as a narrative-driven, simulation hybrid that mirrors the themes of the episode while giving players agency to shape the future of their own digital civilization.
“We didn’t want this to feel like just a marketing activation,” Krankel explains. “This is the game lifted directly from the episode — and it evolves with you”.
Step Inside The Software
In fact, the collaboration between game developers and the Black Mirror creative team was so tight, the look of the thronglets in the game actually influenced how they appear on screen. According to series creator Charlie Brooker, who spoke at the Game Developers Conference, the cross-medium development “improved the look and feel” of the episode — a rare reverse-adaptation that showcases a new frontier for interactive entertainment.
“Plaything” also happens to be Brooker’s most personal episode yet. Long before he became the mastermind behind Black Mirror, Brooker was a video game journalist — a background that bleeds into the narrative. From meta nods to the real-life PC Zone magazine to a twisted take on creature-care games like Creatures and The Sims, the episode is a sharp reflection on the ways we project humanity onto digital worlds — and what happens when those worlds push back.
And push back they do. While the Thronglets may start as adorable, needy creatures that crave your attention, they soon develop into something far more formidable — calculating, reflective, and even pitying toward their human overlords. The horror, as always with Black Mirror, isn’t in the gore, but in the psychological slow-burn of watching a mirror image of society evolve beyond our control.
Get Ready To Play ‘PlayThing‘
But make no mistake — this isn’t just bleak futurism. Plaything is also laced with the dark humor that has become a Black Mirror hallmark. Characters in the episode communicate with their digital pets by taking acid (thankfully not replicated in the real-life app), and one eerie moment sees the game’s influence spilling into reality with chilling precision. As Brooker puts it, the story draws from “a slightly cynical or comedic lens,” but the message cuts deep. And it doesn’t stop when the credits roll.
Unlike most streaming content that disappears once it’s over, Thronglets has replayability, secrets, and depth — inviting users to revisit and uncover new layers long after the episode ends. “I can’t wait for people to start uncovering the secrets,” says Krankel, teasing the game’s rich lore and interactivity. Just like Bandersnatch before it, Plaything offers fans the thrill of agency within a controlled chaos — only this time, the chaos evolves with you.
As Brooker reflected at the GDC, “Where it will all be in 10 years, I dread to predict, but presumably, we’ll all be locked into some kind of infinite entertainment vortex… which sounds better than the real world.” With Plaything and Thronglets, that vortex might have already begun. Black Mirror: Season 7 is now streaming on Netflix. Thronglets is available for download via mobile app stores and included with Netflix subscriptions.
