RIT students release virtual reality mystery game Changeling VR on Steam after five years of development and collaboration across multiple colleges

Rochester, New York – A project that started as an idea during the pandemic has now grown into a published title on one of the world’s largest gaming platforms. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) students and faculty have officially released Changeling VR on Steam, marking a major milestone for more than 300 students who collaborated on the game across five years of development. The narrative-driven mystery is available now as a free download in early access, allowing players to experience the evolving project while the team continues to refine it.

At its core, Changeling VR places players in the role of a detective with extraordinary abilities. Instead of simply questioning suspects and piecing together clues, the detective is able to view people’s thoughts and memories, unlocking fragmented truths and hidden perspectives. The central case revolves around a troubled family and their baby, and the detective must move through each member’s mind to uncover what is wrong.

Each family member’s story is represented as its own level, offering players an entirely new environment, style, and set of challenges. The mother’s memory feels vast and dreamlike, reminiscent of floating through the cosmos. The brother’s world is drawn from the pages of a sketchbook, requiring players to slingshot through his imagination. The father, an engineer, is confronted with intricate puzzles tied to logic and design. Together, the levels combine to create a game that feels like five smaller VR adventures woven into one overarching mystery.

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The original spark for the game came from Elouise Oyzon, associate director of RIT’s School of Interactive Games and Media (IGM). Watching the classic mystery film Murder on the Orient Express, she was struck by the narrative device of characters recalling events through flashbacks. “In detective stories, you interview all these people, and they give you their version of truth in flashbacks,” said Oyzon. “The VR genre is perfect for this because it can really give you a point of view. And in this game, we can give each family member’s memory a totally different vibe and aesthetic.”

While the concept was intriguing, the development also served an important academic purpose. When COVID-19 disrupted traditional internship and co-op opportunities, Oyzon envisioned Changeling VR as both a creative project and an educational substitute. “Typically, IGM students on their first co-ops might work in quality assurance or user experience, but they don’t always get to do level design, narrative, or sound composition,” she explained. “At the Changeling studio, they get to do the things they have been doing in class and even take on new roles.”

Over multiple semesters, students joined the studio as full-time co-op workers. Some contributed remotely, while others collaborated on campus. Because cohorts shifted with each academic term, documentation became essential to ensure the project’s continuity. Students were able to dive into advanced development work, touching areas like art, programming, sound, and production that many internships do not expose them to so early in their careers.

One of those students, Julian Alvia, a fourth-year game design and development major from Waterbury, Conn., found himself stepping into leadership roles as the project matured. Initially, he worked as a team lead, learning Unreal Engine while troubleshooting bugs and shaping development goals. Later, he served as a producer, running the studio’s daily stand-up meetings and organizing weekly milestones. “It was a challenge allowing people to be creative, while also meeting deadlines within the scope of what we wanted to do during our cohort,” Alvia said. “It was rewarding learning how to be a leader and now that’s the direction I want to focus my career.”

Alvia also noted that the professional benefits extend beyond campus. “Having a published game to your name is good to put on résumé and show future employers,” he added.

Kyle James, another student who worked extensively on the game, has already seen the skills translate to his career. James, who graduated in 2024 with a combined BS/MS in game design and development, now serves as a project manager for the STNDRD Fitness app. Reflecting on his time at RIT, he said, “As a co-op, being able to manage 80 people across disciplines was a huge learning process.”

The scope of the project has been substantial, not only in terms of personnel but also in terms of ambition. The game is being published through RIT’s MAGIC Spell Studios and will continue development for at least 18 months under the Steam Early Access model. Currently, four of the seven planned levels are playable. Depending on playstyle, the game can be completed in around 40 minutes, though players who linger in each environment could spend hours exploring.

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For the students, releasing the game on Steam represents a public-facing achievement after years of behind-the-scenes collaboration. For the faculty, it demonstrates how experiential learning can bridge classroom knowledge and industry practice. And for players, it offers a rare opportunity to watch a game evolve in real time, shaped by the work of hundreds of contributors.

What began as an experimental co-op project has transformed into a published title that reflects creativity, persistence, and adaptability. With Changeling VR now available worldwide, the RIT team has shown how collaborative learning can produce something both meaningful for students and engaging for the gaming community. The mystery at the heart of the story may be fictional, but the accomplishment itself is very real.