The new Office video game shows why the show will never die

polygon.com:

After a stealth launch in December, the new free-to-play game The Office: Somehow We Manage is now available on iOS and Android. The game, which is based around trying to save the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin from downsizing, “offers players the chance to immerse themselves in iconic moments from the series and connect with their favorite characters like never before,” Darcy Taylor, chief executive officer of developer East Side Games Group, said in a news release.

Taylor followed up by noting that “fans of The Office will absolutely feel the nostalgia through this new game.” Players will have chances to collect iconic characters from the show, like “Prison Mike, Farmer Dwight, Pretzel Day Stanley, and of course, Three Hole Punch Jim,” which ESGG’s press release notes are all “appearing in animated form for the first time.”

If Somehow We Manage sounds very similar, that’s because it is. ESGG’s bread and butter are IP-heavy free-to-play games, including Archer: Danger Phone, It’s Always Sunny: The Gang Goes Mobile, and Trailer Park Boys Grea$y Money. While all of these games are built on franchises with strong fan bases — and cashing in hard on them — none of them approach the long afterlife of The Office, which seems to be entering a brand new phase beyond streaming-enabled binge-watches.

Consider the recent surge in The Office podcasts. There’s Office Ladies, hosted by Office co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, where the two costars rewatch episodes of the shows and interview key contributors like Michael Schur. It’s also being spun off into the book The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There.

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