Videoverse Gets Console Release Next Month and I Can't Wait

Videoverse, a compelling narrative adventure inspired by early internet forums and MSN Messenger, comes to consoles next month.

Previously launched on PC in 2023, Videoverse explores a fictional yet familiar era focused on the Kinmoku Shark console and its titular, online social network. With its community facing its end as the next console becomes available, you play as a teenage boy called Emmett as you build his friendships with other community members, where his decisions ultimately affect your progress.

I originally played Videoverse a few months after its original Steam launch, and I thoroughly loved it. For someone who spent considerable time on now-defunct forums, briefly dabbling with Miiverse on the Wii U later on, this profound tale about the internet's earlier days hits home hard.

It's a thoughtful visual novel that had me reconsidering how these online relationships impact our lives, the sense of community they can bring, and a prolonged sense of mourning when that eventually disappears. When beholden to corporate interests that are now pushing you to move onto the next platform, watching those spaces fade away can be quietly heartbreaking.

You could only create a game like Videoverse if you lived through those same experiences; MSN and forums were my pick as a teenager, and what's here feels highly relatable to those days. It's a wonderful, wistfully nostalgic exploration of digital friendships and community, and I'm glad to see this reaching a wider audience.

Videoverse is out now on Steam, and it's launching on November 14 on PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox.