It was billed as revolutionary but now Netflix appears to be abandoning plans to make interactive entertainment a staple of its content offering.
These titles allowed viewers to participate in the story by making a series of choices that determined the outcome of the overall narrative, but the streaming giant is very quietly removing 20 of their 24 interactive movies and shows from their platform.
The only remaining interactive titles that will still be available to watch on Netflix are the very popular Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the star-studded Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend, and the Bear Grylls survival shows Ranveer vs Wild and You vs Wild.
Netflix’s very first interactive title, Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, premiered all the way back in 2017, some seven years ago.
It kicked off the streamer’s experiments with the new format that aimed to hit consumers as something between TV programming and video games.
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These sorts of interactive specials allow viewers to participate in the story by making decisions for the characters, generally with multiple choice options that ultimately determined how the movie or show would end.
2018’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is one of the most well-known examples, which starred Will Poulter and Fionn Whitehead.
In the mind-bending interactive TV special written by Charlie Brooker, the audience decides the fate of computer programmer Stefan through a series of choices, even controlling details as specific as what he eats for breakfast.
At the time, it was a giant novelty and a minor cultural hit but it seems there just isn’t the audience for such content on a wider scale.
Other interactive titles that have been axed from Netflix include the romantic comedy Choose Love, which enabled viewers to decide which love interest the main character ended up with, as well as animated franchise spin-offs like Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Hidden Adventure, Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal and The Boss Baby: Get That Baby!
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In a statement to The Verge, a Netflix spokesperson said that the technology had ‘served its purpose’ but is ‘limiting’, especially as the company is now focusing its efforts on other areas.
But despite removing the majority of the interactive titles, the remaining options like Bandersnatch and the Bear Grylls survival shows still offer audiences a chance to engage with Netflix content in a more immersive and participatory way.
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As the streaming landscape continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see if Netflix or other platforms revisit the interactive format in the future, or if this quiet erasure marks the end of a brief, but fun, experiment in the world of immersive storytelling.
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