History of The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone is back and this time in virtual reality! The Twilight Zone returns for Meta Quest headsets (Oculus) on July 14th 2022 and will be coming to PSVR2 headsets on the PS5. See more info here: www.twilightzonevr.com

While you wait we have prepared a brief history of this revered science-fiction and horror franchise.

The Twilight Zone has been called one of the greatest television shows of all time. Modern shows such as Black Mirror, The Outer Limits, Creepshow and of course Jordan Peele’s The Twilight Zone all owe their legacy to the original television series created by Rod Serling. The series ran for five seasons and put many famous actors on the map including William Shatner (Star Trek), Robert Redford, George Takei (Star Trek), Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Dennis Hopper, Ron Howard

We all know that Rod Serling created The Twilight Zone, but his history is not as well known. As a boy in the 1920s and 30s, he was a fan of pulp fiction stories including comics. The morning after his high school graduation he enlisted to serve time in the US Army and was a paratrooper. This time in the military greatly influenced his later work. After his service Rod Serling took jobs in radio theater and finally television. As an adult, he sought books with themes such as racism, government, war, society, and human nature in general. Serling decided to combine these interests as a way to broach sensitive subjects on television at a time when such issues were not commonly addressed - resulting in The Twilight Zone.

Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone

Throughout the 1950s, Serling established himself as one of the most popular names in television. He was as famous for writing televised drama as he was for criticizing the medium's limitations. His most vocal complaints concerned censorship, which was frequently practiced by sponsors and networks.

If you’re a true fan of The Twilight Zone, you will of course remember its previous impressive gaming history. In1964, Ideal released a board game, The Twilight Zone Game, at the height of the show's popularity. In 1988, Gigabit Systems, Inc. published a text adventure video game for Amiga and the PC. Most notably for newer fans of series, Midway Games released a wide-body pinball game, Twilight Zone, based on the original TV series, as a Bally title in 1992. Conceived by Pat Lawlor, it uses Golden Earring's hit song "Twilight Zone" as its theme song. The game sold incredibly well and is often regarded as one of the greatest pinball machines of all time.

Now, The Twilight Zone is back for Virtual Reality. Visit the game’s official site for more news, behind the scenes and giveaways! www.twilightzonevr.com