One of the most remarkable things about Netflix used to be the experiments. There would not only be films and series but also a lot of technology and interaction. One such thing was interactive content.
Where users could actually choose to interact with the content they are streaming. But, it is going to be a thing of the past.
Netflix has announced it’s pulling the plug on most of its interactive content starting December 1st.
Think of all those times you helped Boss Baby make decisions or guided Carmen Sandiego through adventures. Those shows are heading to the digital vault.
Out of 24 interactive titles, Netflix is keeping just four shows: the mind-bending “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s” interactive special, and two adventure shows with Bear Grylls.
Netflix jumped into interactive storytelling back in 2017 with Puss in Book. The idea was pretty cool. You could choose different paths through the story, kind of like those choose-your-own-adventure books we grew up with. They even tried some creative formats like daily trivia shows and multiplayer quiz games.
Netflix’s spokesperson put it simply: the technology did its job, but now they’re looking to innovate elsewhere.
Reading between the lines, it seems these interactive shows weren’t exactly setting the streaming world on fire. Even “Puss in Book,” the one that started it all, quietly disappeared a while ago.
So, things are changing. Priorities are changing and even the technology is changing. Let’s see what Netflix does next.
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