Tender Claws

Tender Claws is an American video game developer and publisher associated with experimental, theatrical, and socially oriented digital experiences. Its work sits at the intersection of video games, virtual reality, immersive theatre, and performance art rather than following a conventional entertainment-software model. The studio is best documented as the developer and publisher of The Under Presents, a multiplayer virtual-reality game and performance space released in 2019. The Under Presents combines several forms of interactive media. Its free introductory section teaches players the game's unusual interaction model and introduces a fictional backstage environment. The central multiplayer stage places users together as masked figures in a surreal desert and theatre setting. Players communicate primarily through gestures and movement rather than ordinary voice chat, explore changing spaces, manipulate objects through a magic-like interface, and cooperate to unlock locations and discover masks. This design makes social presence and nonverbal interaction central to the experience. The title also includes Timeboat, a prerecorded immersive theatre narrative set aboard the Aikman, a ship stranded in ice. Players move through a nonlinear story by manipulating the flow of time and following different characters and plotlines. A further component, The Tempest, transformed the platform into a live, scripted, participatory performance based on Shakespeare's play. Professional actors performed for small groups of networked audience members, creating a form of theatre that used virtual reality as both venue and dramatic medium. The Under Presents launched on November 19, 2019, for SteamVR, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest. Its live-performance work became particularly notable during the COVID-19 pandemic, when conventional theatres were closed and many performers were unable to work. The Tempest ran from June through September 2020 and used the isolation of virtual participation as part of its artistic premise. Audience members attended separately ticketed performances, generally in groups of up to six people per actor, and could also access the broader multiplayer environment. Tender Claws' documented identity is therefore defined less by a large commercial product portfolio than by the integration of game mechanics, networked social spaces, immersive storytelling, and live performance. Publicly available reference material identifies The Under Presents as its principal released work; additional corporate information, leadership details, ownership, founding date, and current operating status are not established in the supplied sources.

Publicly documented information about Tender Claws centers on its work in virtual reality and immersive performance. The studio developed and published The Under Presents, an independent virtual-reality game and performance space released on November 19, 2019. The project was distributed for SteamVR, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest, placing Tender Claws within the emerging market for consumer VR games while also presenting a more experimental approach to multiplayer design. The Under Presents is structured as several connected experiences rather than a single conventional campaign. A free tutorial introduces players to its surreal backstage world, puzzle interactions, and Scrunch Teleport locomotion system. The multiplayer main stage functions as a persistent social environment populated by short theatrical acts, exploratory areas, collaborative unlocks, and collectible masks. Communication is intentionally constrained: players primarily use gestures and movement, while spoken interaction is associated with professional performers appearing in designated or unexpected contexts. The project's narrative component, Timeboat, uses prerecorded immersive theatre. Players investigate the fate of the Aikman, a vessel trapped in ice and deprived of food, by moving backward and forward through time to follow different characters and storylines. This nonlinear structure combines theatrical narrative with game-like exploration and temporal manipulation. Tender Claws further developed the platform's performance potential through The Tempest, a live scripted adaptation drawing on Shakespeare's The Tempest. The performances took place from June to September 2020, during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, when physical theatres were widely disrupted. Actors performed live for networked audience members who attended in small groups. The work used the technical conditions of virtual reality to create participatory theatre and made social isolation part of its thematic context. The Tempest helped establish Tender Claws as a creator of hybrid game-performance experiences rather than only a conventional game developer. It was nominated for Immersive Reality Technical Achievement at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. The supplied reference material does not establish Tender Claws' founding year, founders, ownership structure, headquarters, executive team, broader catalog, or present corporate status.

• 2021

  D.I.C.E. Awards nomination

  [1]The Under Presentsen.wikipedia.org

  The Tempest is nominated for Immersive Reality Technical Achievement at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

• 2020

  The Tempest begins live performances

  [1]The Under Presentsen.wikipedia.org

  Tender Claws launches a live, scripted, participatory virtual-reality performance based on Shakespeare's The Tempest. Performances continue from June through September.

• 2019

  The Under Presents launches

  [1]The Under Presentsen.wikipedia.org

  Tender Claws releases The Under Presents for SteamVR, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest on November 19, establishing its documented flagship work in multiplayer virtual reality and immersive performance.

An experimental game and digital-performance studio focused on immersive virtual reality, social interaction, theatrical storytelling, and participatory audience experiences.

• Virtual-reality video game and performance space · 2019

  The Under Presents

  The Under Presents is a multiplayer virtual-reality game and performance environment developed and published by Tender Claws. It combines a free tutorial, a social multiplayer stage, the nonlinear Timeboat narrative, and the live performance The Tempest. Players appear as dark, gold-masked figures and interact through gestures, movement, object manipulation, exploration, and cooperative discovery. The game was released on November 19, 2019, for SteamVR, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest.

• Immersive narrative experience · 2019

  Timeboat

  Timeboat is the prerecorded theatrical narrative within The Under Presents. It follows passengers and crew aboard the Aikman after the ship becomes trapped in ice and its supplies fail. Players manipulate time and pursue multiple characters and storylines, creating a nonlinear form of interactive theatre.

• Live virtual-reality performance · 2020

  The Tempest

  The Tempest is a live, scripted, participatory performance presented through The Under Presents and inspired by Shakespeare's play. Audience members attended scheduled performances in small networked groups and interacted with professional actors. The production ran from June through September 2020 and was created during a period when the pandemic severely restricted physical theatre.

• 2020The Tempest live virtual-reality performances

  Virtual-reality markets · International digital audience

  Tender Claws used The Under Presents as a venue for scheduled live performances of The Tempest. The production connected actors with small groups of remote audience members and presented virtual reality as an alternative theatre space during pandemic-related closures.

  Outcome. The production ran from June through September 2020 and later received a nomination for Immersive Reality Technical Achievement at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

  Source

• 2020

  Expansion into live networked theatreStrategy

  Background

  The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted conventional performance venues and separated actors from in-person audiences.

  Action taken

  Tender Claws introduced The Tempest as a ticketed, live, scripted performance experienced through virtual reality, with audience members attending in small networked groups.

  Aftermath

  The production demonstrated the use of a game platform as a venue for live theatre and earned a D.I.C.E. Awards nomination for immersive-reality technical achievement.

  Source

• 2019

  Launch of a hybrid game and performance platformProduct launch

  Background

  Tender Claws developed The Under Presents as more than a conventional VR game, combining multiplayer interaction, exploratory systems, prerecorded theatre, and a platform for live performance.

  Action taken

  The studio released the project for SteamVR, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest on November 19, 2019.

  Aftermath

  The title became the principal publicly documented example of Tender Claws' hybrid approach to games and immersive theatre.

  Source

• 2021

  The Tempest receives a D.I.C.E. Awards technical-achievement nomination[1]The Under Presentsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Tempest was nominated for Immersive Reality Technical Achievement at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

• 2020

  The Tempest brings live participatory theatre to virtual reality[1]The Under Presentsen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Product launch

  Tender Claws presented The Tempest as a live, scripted, participatory virtual-reality performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Performances ran from June through September 2020 and connected small audience groups with live actors.

• 2019

  Tender Claws releases The Under Presents for virtual reality platforms[1]The Under Presentsen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Tender Claws developed and published The Under Presents, a multiplayer virtual-reality game and performance space released on November 19, 2019, for SteamVR, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest.

1. 1The Under Presentsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tender Claws official websitetenderclaws.com