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Werewolves Within

Werewolves Within is a multiplayer social deduction virtual reality video game developed by Red Storm Entertainment and published by Ubisoft.^[1] Released on December 6, 2016, for platforms including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR, it supports 5 to 8 players who assume roles as villagers or hidden werewolves in the medieval town of Gallowston, relying on discussion, deception, and voting to identify and eliminate the threats before they overrun the village.^[2]^[1] The game draws inspiration from classic party games like Werewolf and Mafia, translating their social intrigue into VR through features such as real-time voice-analyzed animations, head tracking for gestures, and cross-platform multiplayer to enhance immersion and interaction.^[3]^[4] Players use special abilities and environmental clues during timed rounds, fostering tense alliances and betrayals in a casual yet strategic format.^[2] Upon release, Werewolves Within earned generally positive reviews, praised for its engaging party-like social experience and innovative VR implementation, though some critics noted bugs and a steep learning curve for newcomers; it holds a Metacritic score of 76/100.^[5]^[6]^[4] A notable adaptation is the 2021 American comedy horror film Werewolves Within, loosely based on the game and produced by Ubisoft.^[7] Directed by Josh Ruben and written by Mishna Wolff, the movie stars Sam Richardson as forest ranger Finn Wheeler and Milana Vayntrub as postal worker Cecily Moore, who investigate mysterious attacks amid a snowstorm trapping townsfolk in a local inn, blending whodunit mystery with werewolf lore and social tensions over a proposed pipeline.^[8]^[7] It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 16, 2021, and was released theatrically on June 25, 2021.^[9] The film received critical acclaim, achieving an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its sharp humor, ensemble performances, and successful fusion of horror and comedy genres.^[8]

Development

Conception and design

Werewolves Within was conceived in fall 2014 by a small team at Red Storm Entertainment, a Ubisoft studio, as part of early experiments with virtual reality technology. Prototyping began that fall under the working title Lobo, emerging from broader efforts to adapt existing social multiplayer concepts to VR and marking one of Ubisoft's first forays into the medium. Game Director Justin Achilli led the design efforts, drawing on the studio's experience to create a multiplayer experience that leveraged VR's immersive potential.^[10]^[11] The game's core concept was heavily inspired by classic social deduction party games such as Mafia and Werewolf, which involve hidden roles, deception, and group discussion to identify impostors. Developers adapted these mechanics for VR to heighten the sense of physical presence among players, emphasizing non-verbal cues like body language and proximity that are amplified in a shared virtual space. This shift allowed for more intuitive social interactions, such as reading subtle avatar movements during discussions, transforming the abstract tabletop experience into an embodied one set in a medieval village called Gallowston.^[12]^[13] Key design choices prioritized accessibility for VR newcomers, featuring simple controls that relied primarily on voice chat and head tracking rather than intricate inputs. Rounds were structured for brevity, typically lasting 10-15 minutes to encourage repeated play without fatigue, while a central village hub facilitated casual environmental interactions like examining objects to gather clues. Early prototypes focused on testing these elements, including voice-driven avatar animations that enabled expressive bluffing—such as fidgeting or gesturing to feign innocence—and positional audio for private whispers, ensuring the social deduction core remained engaging in VR.^[11]

Production and release

Red Storm Entertainment, a subsidiary of Ubisoft, developed Werewolves Within, with prototyping beginning in fall 2014 and full production starting in early 2016 as one of several VR prototypes at the studio, initially titled Lobo.^[10] The project was led by game director Justin Achilli, who emphasized creating social interactions in VR to foster player relatedness through features like whispering and animated facial expressions.^[14] The team focused on adapting social deduction mechanics for virtual reality, optimizing for hardware constraints common in early VR headsets such as limited field of view and tracking precision. The game launched on December 6, 2016, for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive via Steam, with simultaneous availability on PlayStation VR.^[15]^[2] It supported cross-platform play from release, allowing users across PC VR and PSVR to join matches.^[2] Post-launch support included bug fixes, though the core experience remained unchanged.^[16] The title remains available on Steam, the Meta Store, and PlayStation VR. As of 2025, no sequels or reboots have been announced.^[17]

Gameplay

Core mechanics

Werewolves Within is a multiplayer social deduction game designed for 5 to 8 players, set in the virtual medieval village of Gallowston.^[15] Each round typically lasts about 7 minutes and follows a structured loop of daytime and nighttime phases, where players must navigate deception and persuasion to achieve their objectives.^[18] During the daytime phase, players gather in a central village square for open discussion via voice chat, using accusations and debate to identify suspects among the group.^[19] This phase emphasizes social interaction, with players employing gestures and emotes to enhance persuasion or express suspicion.^[4] The core objective divides players into villagers, who must collectively identify and eliminate the hidden werewolves through strategic voting, and werewolves, who secretly target villagers during the nighttime phase to reduce their numbers.^[20] Voting occurs gesture-based in the village square, where players select targets via an in-game interface or motion controls to lynch a suspected individual, with majority consensus determining the outcome.^[19] Villagers secure victory by successfully voting out all werewolves before they can overpower the group, while werewolves triumph if their numbers equal or surpass the remaining villagers through nocturnal eliminations and successful misdirection.^[19] Outside of rounds, a hub world in Gallowston serves as a pre-game lounge for player customization, such as avatar selection and map choice, and a post-game area for recapping deceptions and reviewing outcomes to build camaraderie.^[4] Role-specific abilities, such as protective actions or investigations, activate primarily at night but integrate into the broader deduction process without altering the fundamental day-night cycle.^[19]

Roles and abilities

Werewolves Within features a variety of roles assigned randomly to players at the start of each round, influencing deception, investigation, and voting strategies within the social deduction framework. Typically, 1 to 3 players receive the Werewolf role, the antagonistic faction hidden among the villagers, with the number depending on the total participants. During the night phase, Werewolves privately vote to select and eliminate one villager, aiming to reduce the good team's numbers while maintaining secrecy. By day, Werewolves rely on bluffing and misdirection to avoid suspicion, as detection leads to their execution via majority vote.^[14] Most players belong to the villager team, tasked with identifying and eliminating Werewolves through discussion and voting. The basic Villager has no special ability but contributes to group deliberation and can nominate a Ringleader at the game's outset, granting that player double voting power to sway daytime decisions—similar to a Mayor's influence in traditional variants. Special villager roles provide investigative or protective tools, often activated at night to gather information at personal risk. For instance, the Watcher functions as a Seer, selecting one player to reveal two possible roles (one true, one false), potentially exposing Werewolves but drawing their attention for elimination. Other roles, such as the Houndsman, allow learning the true role of an adjacent seated player by "sniffing," while the Tracker checks if neighbors might be Werewolves by leaning toward them. Neutral roles like the Turncloak, who knows the Werewolves' identities and wins alongside them by deflecting blame, or the Deviant, who achieves victory only by being voted out, introduce unpredictable alliances and complicate trust dynamics.^[18]^[14] Abilities are primarily used during the concise night phase, where players have limited time to perform actions like investigations or selections, heightening tension and preventing over-analysis. These mechanics layer strategic depth onto voting, as information from roles like the Astrologer (who identifies one confirmed role in the game) or the Drifter (who learns two absent roles) can validate claims or sow doubt. The Saint role, for example, reveals one Werewolf's identity but triggers an automatic werewolf victory if the Saint is executed, forcing careful revelation timing.^[18] Role distribution balances gameplay across 5-8 players, with randomization ensuring no persistent progression or meta-knowledge carries over between rounds. In larger 8-player games, additional neutral roles like the Deviant or Turncloak appear more frequently to prevent villager over-dominance, while smaller groups emphasize core villager-Werewolf confrontations. This scalability maintains replayability and fairness without favoring any player history.^[19] As a VR-exclusive title, Werewolves Within leverages immersive elements for enhanced social interaction, including avatar emotes such as pointing at suspects, laughing to mock accusations, or thumbs-up gestures to build false rapport. These non-verbal cues amplify bluffing during discussions, complementing voice chat while allowing subtle signaling without overt verbal hints, and the whispering feature enables private leans for confidential exchanges.^[18]^[14]

Reception

Critical reception

Werewolves Within received generally favorable reviews upon release, earning aggregate scores of 76/100 on Metacritic for both the PC and PlayStation 4 versions based on 17 critic reviews each.^[5] Critics widely praised the game's innovative adaptation of social deduction mechanics to virtual reality, creating an engaging party game atmosphere with high replayability driven by player interactions and bluffing.^[19] UploadVR highlighted the title's creative social VR experience, emphasizing its cross-platform multiplayer accessibility and subtle features like emotes that enhanced deception and collaboration among players.^[4] Similarly, PlayStation Lifestyle awarded it an 8/10, commending the nuanced social dynamics and immersive VR bluffing that made sessions feel like lively game nights.^[21] IGN, however, gave it a 6/10, appreciating the friendly social elements but criticizing persistent bugs and matchmaking issues that hindered connectivity in early playthroughs.^[6] GameSpot scored the game 7/10, lauding its demonstration of VR's potential for social gameplay while noting limited content and variety at launch as drawbacks that reduced long-term depth.^[22] The game won Best Online Game at UploadVR's 2016 Game of the Year awards, recognizing its multiplayer innovation.^[23]

Commercial performance

Werewolves Within achieved moderate commercial success following its 2016 launch across VR platforms. The absence of pay-to-win elements, with all content unlocked post-purchase, has supported the game's longevity by encouraging repeat play without additional monetization barriers.^[24] In market context, Werewolves Within played a key role in Ubisoft's early VR initiatives, showcasing the potential for social deduction games in immersive environments despite lower sales compared to the publisher's non-VR blockbusters. Its reception contributed to Ubisoft's strategy of porting select titles to VR, expanding their experimental portfolio in the medium.^[25]

Adaptations

Film adaptation

Werewolves Within is a 2021 American comedy horror film directed by Josh Ruben in his feature directorial debut and written by Mishna Wolff, loosely based on the 2016 Ubisoft video game of the same name.^[26] The film was produced by Ubisoft Film & Television, among others, and distributed by IFC Films, with a release on June 25, 2021, in the United States.^[7]^[27] Set in the small, fictional town of Beaverfield, the story revolves around a proposed pipeline project that divides the residents into pro-development and environmentalist factions. A massive blizzard traps the townsfolk at the local inn, where strange murders begin to occur, forcing new forest ranger Finn Wheeler (played by Sam Richardson) and postal worker Cecily (Milana Vayntrub) to uncover the werewolf lurking among them through deduction and accusation. The narrative mirrors the game's social deduction mechanics, emphasizing suspicion and interpersonal conflict amid the chaos.^[8] Development on the film adaptation began in October 2018, when Ubisoft announced the project with Wolff attached to write the screenplay, aiming to capture the game's blend of humor and horror in a live-action format. Principal photography took place in New York State's Hudson Valley region, including locations in Fleischmanns, Phoenicia, and Woodstock, to evoke a snowy, isolated small-town atmosphere. The production had a budget of approximately $6.5 million and featured a strong ensemble cast, including George Basil, Sarah Burns, Michael Chernus, and Cheyenne Jackson, highlighting its comedy-horror tone through improvised elements and character-driven satire.^[28]^[29]^[30] The film received positive critical reception, earning an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 148 reviews, with praise for its witty script, ensemble performances, and successful fusion of whodunit mystery with werewolf lore. On Metacritic, it holds a score of 66 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews, particularly for Ruben's direction and the film's lighthearted take on horror tropes. Commercially, it grossed $575,783 domestically and $991,898 worldwide, reflecting its limited theatrical release during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic recovery.^[8]^[31]^[27] While expanding the game's multiplayer social deduction into a linear narrative, the adaptation retains core elements like villager paranoia and werewolf reveals, with Ubisoft's involvement ensuring fidelity to the source material's whimsical yet tense gameplay dynamic.^[7]^[32]

Other media

Werewolves Within has left a notable mark on the VR gaming landscape as one of the earliest social deduction titles, emphasizing verbal interaction and deception in a virtual environment, which helped shape the genre for subsequent multiplayer experiences like Deceit and other VR party games.^[19]^[4] The 2021 film adaptation garnered attention in discussions of video game-to-movie transitions, often cited as a rare successful example due to its blend of horror, comedy, and ensemble mystery, influencing perceptions of adaptations from niche VR properties.^[33]^[34] Within the film, a subtle crossover reference appears when a character employs a wrist-mounted hidden blade, echoing weaponry from Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series.^[35] Promotional merchandise for the game included limited apparel such as T-shirts distributed around its 2016 launch by Red Storm Entertainment.^[36] As of 2025, no sequels, additional adaptations, or official expansions like board games or podcasts have materialized, though the game's multiplayer format continues to evoke nostalgia among early VR adopters for its cross-platform social dynamics.^[37]

References

[1]
Werewolves Within on Oculus Rift | Rift VR Games | Meta Store
### Summary of Werewolves Within VR Game
[2]
Werewolves Within Available Now - Ubisoft News
Dec 7, 2016 · Casting you as a villager in the little medieval town of Gallowston, Werewolves Within pits you against the clock as you discuss, argue, and use ...
[3]
Werewolves Within - IGN
Rating 6/10 · Review by IGNAn online game for five to eight people, Werewolves Within aims to replicate the feel of playing a story-based board game in a close group.
[4]
'Werewolves Within' Review: Lies and Deception in Social VR
Dec 6, 2016 · Werewolves Within is a creative and comical social VR experience that's unlike anything else available in the medium, but it comes with a high learning curve ...
[5]
Werewolves Within Reviews - Metacritic
Rating 76% (17) Dec 6, 2016 · Werewolves Within is probably the best social VR experience so far! This super funny game feels like hanging out with friends having some beers ...
[6]
Werewolves Within Review - IGN
Rating 6/10 · Review by Alanah PearceDec 16, 2016 · Werewolves Within is an engrossing, friendly, social VR experience that's let down by some seriously inhibiting bugs. Alanah Pearce Avatar ...
[7]
Ubisoft Entertainment Werewolves Within Movie
When a snowstorm traps a group of residents together inside a local inn, it's up to newly arrived forest ranger Finn (Sam Richardson) and postal worker Cecily ( ...
[8]
Werewolves Within | Rotten Tomatoes
Rating 86% (148) Werewolves Within is the rare horror comedy that offers equal helpings of either genre -- and adds up to a whole lot of fun in the bargain.148 Reviews · Cast and Crew · Trailers & Videos
[9]
Werewolves Within: How Ubisoft adapted a tabletop classic for VR
Mar 14, 2016 · The game, launching later this year as Werewolves Within, got its start at Ubisoft Red Storm as Lobo, one VR prototype among many created by a ...Missing: 2015 | Show results with:2015
[10]
'Werewolves Within' Brings Social Gaming To Virtual Reality - AList
Mar 30, 2016 · The virtual reality experience is enhanced with the ability to secretly whisper to other players, and special technology that animates the ...Missing: inspirations | Show results with:inspirations
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Ubisoft's First Social VR Game 'Werewolves Within' Launching this Fall
Mar 15, 2016 · Ubisoft studio is jumping into the world of social VR with Werewolves Within, a unique take on the Russian social deduction game Mafia.
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Ubisoft Ready to Unleash the 'Werewolves Within' - The Horror Review
Mar 23, 2016 · ... Werewolves Within transports players to the medieval village of Gallowston, where they must uncover the werewolves that have been ...Missing: setting | Show results with:setting<|separator|>
[13]
Werewolves Within™ on Steam
Rating 3.0 (135) · 14-day returnsDec 6, 2016 · Werewolves Within brings the fun of game night with friends to Virtual Reality. This is a fast-paced game of hidden roles and social deduction for 5-8 players.
[14]
'Werewolves Within' Review - Road to VR
Dec 7, 2016 · This makes Werewolves Within hands down one of the most comfortable VR games to play, which would be great for inexperienced users like curious ...
[15]
Werewolves Within™ - PlayStation
Werewolves Within is a fast-paced game of hidden roles and social deduction for five to eight players. In one game, you might be a villager trying their hardest ...
[16]
Lie to Your Friends in VR With 'Werewolves Within' - UploadVR
Mar 21, 2016 · Werewolves Within, developed by Ubisoft's Red Storm team, takes the classic formula of spy tabletop games like Mafia or Avalon and pits a group of five to ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[17]
Werewolves Within Review - PlayStation VR - ThisGenGaming
Feb 27, 2017 · The graphics in the game looked good on the PlayStation VR with great looking characters and good environments. The settings include a campfire, ...
[18]
Werewolves Within Review - Virtually Social Nuance (PSVR)
Rating 8/10 · Review by Chandler WoodDec 12, 2016 · Best social experience on PSVR · Real time character animations sync with players · Easy to lose yourself playing it · Every round a new experience.<|control11|><|separator|>
[19]
Werewolves Within Review - GameSpot
Rating 7/10 · Review by Don SaasDec 18, 2016 · Ubisoft's Werewolves Within is an exciting demo of VR's social capabilities, even if the final product is somewhat bare bones.
[20]
UploadVR's 2016 Game of the Year Winners
Dec 30, 2016 · Best Online Game Winner: Werewolves Within. Arizona Sunshine. Battlezone. Dead and Buried. EVE: Valkyrie. Onward. RIGS. The Unspoken. Werewolves ...
[21]
The Long and Winding Road to Success for Among Us | Gamesforum
Oct 7, 2020 · ... Among Us. Town of Salem and Werewolves Within simply recreate the campfire format of the real-world original -- gameplay is reduced to a ...Missing: influence | Show results with:influence<|separator|>
[22]
UBISOFT® REPORTS FULL-YEAR 2016-17 SALES AND EARNINGS
May 16, 2017 · Paris, May 16, 2017 - Today, Ubisoft released its sales and earnings figures for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017.
[23]
Ubisoft continues to back VR with new IP Werewolves Within
Mar 15, 2016 · It's a social deduction game that can be played online with up to eight people and asks them to figure out who among a group is actually a werewolf and should ...
[24]
Werewolves Within™ Steam Charts - SteamDB
Steam player count for Werewolves Within is currently 0 players live. Werewolves Within had an all-time peak of 203 concurrent players on 7 February 2022.Missing: figures | Show results with:figures
[25]
Werewolves Within (2021) - IMDb
Rating 6/10 (28,415) When a killer terrorizes the snowed-in residents of a small town, it falls to the new forest ranger to find out who - or what - lurks among them in this ...Full cast & crew · Parents guide · User reviews · Trivia
[26]
Werewolves Within (2021) - Box Office Mojo
Similar Movies. Domestic. Area, Release Date, Opening, Gross. Domestic, Jun 25, 2021, $250,811, $575,783. Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Area, Release Date ...
[27]
'Werewolves Within' Cast: Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins ...
Feb 12, 2020 · Producers are Jason Altman, Margaret Boykin and Andrew Lieberman for Ubisoft Film & Television; Matt Miller, Natalie Metzger, and Benjamin ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[28]
Werewolves Within (2021) - Box Office and Financial Information
Metrics. Opening Weekend: $250,811 (43.6% of total gross). Legs: 2.30 (domestic box office/biggest weekend). Domestic Share: 66.6% (domestic box office/ ...
[29]
Where Was Werewolves Within Filmed? - The Cinemaholic
Jul 3, 2021 · The film's primary setting, Beaverfield, is a fictional town, and the movie was filmed on location mainly in the Hudson Valley region of New York.Missing: Lockport | Show results with:Lockport
[30]
Werewolves Within Reviews - Metacritic
Rating 66% (17) What Werewolves Within aims to be is a Knives Out of the horror genre, with a wacky ensemble having a blast while they play enormous characters and follow clues ...Missing: phase | Show results with:phase
[31]
'Werewolves Within' Review: A 'Knives Out'-Style Horror-Comedy
Jun 17, 2021 · Josh Ruben's consistently entertaining whodunit puts a fresh, 'Knives Out'-style spin on the cabin-in-the-woods subgenre.
[32]
Werewolves Within turns the classic party game into a bloody horror ...
Jun 25, 2021 · Directed by Scare Me's Josh Ruben, written by debuting screenwriter Mishna Wolff, and produced by Ubisoft Film & Television, Werewolves Within ...
[33]
'Werewolves Within', Based On Popular Game, Is Being Adapted ...
Dec 26, 2018 · Ubisoft is developing a Werewolves Within movie, based on the VR version of the popular modern board game about werewolves terrorizing a ...
[34]
Werewolves Within (2021) - Trivia - IMDb
Near the end of the film, Parker uses a hidden blade, mounted on his wrist. This weapon appears in several games in the Assassin's Creed franchise.Missing: references | Show results with:references
[35]
Werewolves Within T-Shirt Red Storm Entertainment Ubisoft ... - eBay
Werewolves Within T-Shirt Red Storm Entertainment Ubisoft Small Movie Game Promo ; Condition. Pre-owned - Good ; Quantity. 1 available ; Item number. 335153457194.
[36]
I spent thousands of hours in this game (Werewolves Within), it was ...
Jan 13, 2025 · How can we bring it back to life again ? It was very fun and chilling. And now it is free to play in game catalogue in ps plus.Missing: engine | Show results with:engine