Punchdrunk announce new show 'LANDER 23' for September 2025
- Immersive Rumours
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Image: Punchdrunk
Groundbreaking immersive theatre company Punchdrunk have today announced its new project, LANDER 23, will premiere at its home in Woolwich, London, from 17 September 2025.
A live action video game, LANDER 23 sees the immersive theatre pioneers collide with the world of gaming as never before, as audiences become players in a multiplayer stealth game. With genuine agency and true video game mechanics, LANDER 23 promises to become the next generation of immersive experience.
LANDER 23 splits players into two squads - Command (Drivers) and Ground Team (Fields). As the Fields navigate the alien landscape, they’ll rely solely on the voice and guidance of their Drivers, stationed aboard the ship. All players will wear a vest and headphones throughout the experience, which will feature pre-recorded performances and no live actors.
A radical new format, this project runs full pelt into the wilds of uncharted territory and will undergo rigorous testing and iteration with live players. To recognise the early access nature of the first weeks of performances, all tickets (which must be purchased in multiples of two) are priced at £23, and those attending previews will be invited to play, feedback, and influence the future of the game.
Players attending during previews may not experience the fully realised game, but will play a work-in-progress with full gaming and theatrical mechanics. From 7 October, standard pricing will apply.
Felix Barrett Photo: Stephen Dobbie
Felix Barrett, Artistic Director of Punchdrunk said:
To make a video game live - and specifically a AAA adventure game - is the holy grail for me; to take the complete submersion in a world and the endless choice of where you go, who you talk to, how you choose to play the game, and to make that real. The future is inevitably tech-driven - how can we, as a company that is built on the magic of live experiences, create something that is not just as compelling as an evening on Fortnite or Zelda, but that elevates that experience to something more engrossing. Something which fires up both hemispheres of the brain, removes the passivity of sitting in a chair, and has a far longer-lasting impact. That’s our ambition for LANDER 23 - create the ultimate antidote to screens: instead of sitting on the sofa in front of your TV, what would happen if you threw away your controller, stepped inside the game and became your own avatar - relying on your ingenuity, dexterity and courage to survive. In real time. In real life.
LANDER 23 will be a genuine live video game with integrated technology that brings video game mechanics to life. All the tropes that players know and love - maps guiding you to your goal, lives that can be lost and regenerated - will exist in LANDER 23.  In the spirit of sustainability and accountability, the company will be repurposing the extraordinary world of Troy from The Burnt City - reimagined for a new narrative.
LANDER 23's full description is as follows:
The Lander Division of the Centre for Astrobiology is responsible for exploring the outer realms of the galaxy. No division goes further or deeper into the unknown. Tasked with discovering uncharted territories, exploring the outermost reaches and bringing back valuable data to the mothership. A week ago, the crew of Lander 23 vanished while harvesting a new and valuable energy source. A distress signal, then silence. You are the next crew in. Your mission is clear – continue their job without the same happening to you.  Time is not on your side. The environment is treacherous. There are hidden dangers lurking in the shadows. Do not deviate from the mission.
The experience has been conceived, directed & designed by Felix Barrett, with Kath Duggan and Joel Scott co-directing. LANDER 23's game systems have been created by Meaning Machine, who 'create premium, author-driven AI characters that can play meaningful roles in the stories and objectives of their human creators'.
LANDER 23 will begin previews on 17th September 2025, and will run until 1st February 2026 at One Cartridge Place, Woolwich. Tickets are priced from £23.00 for preview performances, from £41 for non-preview dates, and can be purchased via punchdrunk.com