Netflix's Stranger Things is crossing over with the Xbox game you'd least expect — I'm sure Microsoft is hoping this one takes off

Crossovers between media properties are always fun, especially when film or TV projects make their way into video games. This is what's soon happening with Stranger Things, one of Netflix's biggest TV shows that just premiered the first episode of Season 5 — and it's coming to the last Xbox game you'd expect it to.

The game in question is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, the sequel to 2020's version of the Windows and Xbox maker's aircraft sim that's available to play across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC platforms like Steam and the Xbox app. Notably, it's on Xbox Game Pass and is playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming as well, with a PS5 version releasing on December 8.

The collaboration with Stranger Things is scheduled to release one day later on December 9, with Microsoft and Xbox announcing it on Thursday morning with a short new teaser video you can watch at Xbox's X channel or via the embed below.

Notably, it's unclear if this crossover will be a free add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator or a paid expansion; previous collaborations with other franchises have been both, so there's ultimately no way to be sure until Microsoft shares more details.

The type and amount of content added by the crossover also isn't known at present, though the teaser trailer video shows a UH-1H Huey helicopter with a "Hawkins Heli-Tours" logo on it (Hawkins is the name of the fictional town from the show), all-but-confirming that aircraft will be added.

There is already a Huey in Microsoft Flight Simulator, but it's a third-party one made for the 2020 edition of the game by Taog's Hangar. Assuming this collaboration is adding one, it will obviously be for the newer edition of the flight sim, and potentially by Microsoft's own developers.

Stranger Things' iconic Hawkins National Laboratory is also visible in the trailer, so you can expect to be able to fly around it — and perhaps even the town of Hawkins as a whole — with the crossover.

As for other pieces of content that might be coming, we can only speculate, but I can see Yuri Ismaylov's Antonov An-2 plane and Kamov Ka-26 helicopter "Katinka" from Season 4 getting added. I'd also love to see Stranger Things' dark parallel dimension, The Upside Down, included as an environment, too, as flying in it would be quite a unique Microsoft Flight Simulator experience.

A bold, bizarre idea — I'm in

Of course, it's impossible to say for sure what we're getting our hands on come December 9 until Microsoft shows more of the crossover off, but broadly speaking, I like the idea of a collaboration with Stranger Things. The wild sci-fi/fantasy/horror hybrid show makes for a bold and bizarre pairing with a flight simulator, which is precisely what makes it a fascinating concept.

From Microsoft's perspective, it's also an incredibly strong series to do a crossover with, as Stranger Things has always been one of Netflix's most popular shows. It's particularly red-hot right now with Season 5 — its final season — beginning to roll out episodically, breaking viewership records as it does.

A franchise as big as Stranger Things has the potential to bring an influx of sales and attention to Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is (as a flight simulator) quite a niche title. Thus, Microsoft is no doubt hoping that this crossover takes off.

The only problem? As we covered in our review, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 isn't exactly the most stable game, even after extensive patching managed to fix the worst of its launch issues.

That's a big factor limiting its success, but hey, at least the Xbox/PC version (supported by Xbox Play Anywhere) of the $69.99 game is just $55.39 at Loaded right now.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: was $69.99 now $55.39 at loaded.com

Stranger Things is soon crossing over with the 2024 edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator, and at the very least, it looks to be adding a new themed Huey helicopter as well as the iconic Hawkins National Laboratory from the show. Note that the game itself is on sale for a sizable 21% off discount, so now is a good time to pick it up.

Premium Deluxe Edition: $98.19 at Loaded

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