A TikTok collective has gone virtual. Sway House dropped a video game featuring animated versions of its most popular influencers.
Sway Stories is a narrative choice-based game. Developed by Playco, gamers play as a girl invited to a Sway House party. The girl then gets to meet the two members Josh Richards and Griffin Johnson and engage in challenges. But not all TikTokers are excited about the project.
What is Sway House’s Sway Stories?
Sway Stories was created by Playco. It’s the first game of its kind in that players don’t have to leave the TikTok app to play it.
“We partnered closely with TikTok to make Sway Stories a perfect fit for their platform,” Playco cofounder Justin Waldron told VentureBeat. “Working with both creators and the platforms like TikTok enables us to build a completely new type of game for fans. We are excited to continue working with both creators and social platforms to reimagine the creator economy.”
The animation style and gameplay are similar to the game Kim Kardashian Hollywood. Players navigate a party with Sway House members and make narrative choices that affect the outcome of the game. Sway Stories is free although to unlock all of the features, users must pay.
Only one episode of Sway Stories has been released. The TikTokers claim they will drop the second episode when they get 50,000 followers on the Sway Stories account which currently sits at over 18,000.
Criticism of Sway Stories
YouTuber Kurtis Conner has over 3.36 million followers and dubbed Sway Stories a “disaster.” In the video, he wondered why only Richards and Johnson were featured in the game and concluded that Sway House had actually disbanded. This echos former member Bryce Hall’s previous comments that Sway House is “dead” and all the members moved out of their shared house.
“They have to pretend the Sway House still exists for a brand deal. That’s so absurd,” Conner speculated.
Conner also criticized the promotional videos featuring Richards and Johnson, claiming their lack of interest in the project was evident.
“These guys delivering a line is more painful than someone delivering a baby,” Conner said.
Who knows what the future holds for Sway Stories, which still isn’t as popular as the influencers it was modeled after.
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