I Expect You To Die (Library Prototype)

I Expect You To Die (Library Prototype)
Information
Developer	Schell Games
Platform	Oculus Rift (Platform)
Device	DK1, DK2
Operating System	Windows
Type	Experience
Genre	Strategy, Puzzle, Exploration
Input Device	Keyboard, Mouse
Game Mode	Single Player
App Store	Oculus Share
Website	http://www.schellgames.com

I Expect You To Die (Library Prototype) is an early virtual reality escape-room puzzle by Schell Games for the Oculus Rift. Known during development as The Library, it preceded The Car in the Plane demonstration and the commercial I Expect You To Die.

Reviewed 20 October 2026. Prototype identity, development sequence and the documented 2015 seated mouse interface. Retained DK1/DK2, Windows and keyboard catalog fields were not independently verified. Library-specific hardware requirements, runtime version and current executable compatibility are outside this review. About review dates.

Features

The Library was a rough prototype puzzle. By June 2015, both it and the more detailed Car in the Plane vertical slice had been published on Oculus Share. The early Rift design placed the player at a desk and used a mouse to manipulate virtual objects.

The documented 2015 prototype controls were:

Input	Interaction
Head movement and mouse movement	Position the cursor in the virtual environment.
Mouse click	Pick up an object.
Mouse wheel	Move a held object nearer or farther away.
Right-click	Activate an object.

Early experiments also revealed that stacking books could be enjoyable independently of solving the puzzle. The team kept book stacking in the game.

Development

The project grew out of a discussion about movement in VR. Some developers wanted experiences built around locomotion, while Jesse Schell argued for avoiding movement that could make players uncomfortable. The idea of a hero trapped in a chair suggested a puzzle game about escaping a death trap without walking around. Its title came from the James Bond film Goldfinger.

The Library was the first prototype the studio put on Oculus Share. The later Car prototype attracted the attention that encouraged the studio to invest in a complete game. The car demonstration's store ranking and the finished game's missions belong to those later versions.

Relationship to later versions

Version	Place in development
The Library	Rough prototype distributed before the Car demonstration.
The Car in the Plane	More detailed vertical slice, also available by June 2015.
Commercial I Expect You To Die	Separate completed game released in 2016. Its December launch included four missions and support for consumer VR controllers.

The Library's historical catalog fields concern the development-kit era. The commercial game's controller support, mission list and system requirements should be checked against that edition rather than used as instructions for running the Library prototype.