Netflix ditches most of its interactive shows, but Bandersnatch lives on

Key Takeaways

Netflix will be removing almost all interactive shows & films from its platform on December 1st.
Only 4 interactive titles, including Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, will remain available after the culling.
The decision to remove interactive shows comes as Netflix shifts focus to other technological efforts.

Have you ever watched an interactive special on Netflix? Well, if you haven’t and want to, you best do before it’s too late. As of December 1st, Netflix will be delisting almost all of its interactive shows and films, the company confirmed to The Verge.

If you go to Netflix’s Interactive Specials page, you’ll find 24 titles currently available. However, only four of them will survive the 1st of December mass removal. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Ranveer vs. Wild with Bear Grylls, and You vs. Wild, will all continue to be available for now.

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What are Netflix’s interactive specials?

It first launched them all the way back in 2017

Netflix launched its first interactive special in 2017 with Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale. Interactive specials are similar to a choose-your-own-adventure book. In this case, you get to make decisions during the show/film that lead to different outcomes.

I remember experimenting briefly with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, an interactive film which came out in late 2018. During the film you can make different choices, and you’re given about 10 seconds to choose, or a default decision will be made for you. The technology and the thought process behind it was interesting, but it never really made me want to watch another interactive special.

“The technology served its purpose, but is now limiting as we focus on technological efforts in other areas,” Netflix spokesperson Chrissy Kelleher said to The Verge.

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It seems Netflix has decided its best to move on from interactive specials and refocus its efforts elsewhere, which isn’t entirely surprising considering only 24 titles were made. Netflix is trying to make in-roads in gaming, with the company currently offering some mobile games to subscribers on iOS and Android.

The company’s head of gaming, Mike Verdu posted on LinkedIn that he’s taken on the new role at Netflix of VP: GenAI for Games, saying “GenAI is that next challenge. I don’t think I’ve been this excited about an opportunity in this industry since the 90s, when we saw a new game launch every few months that redefined what was possible.”

However, the news of Netflix moving on from interactive specials and its head of gaming taking on a new role comes on the heels of it closing its Southern California Gaming Studio, known as Blue. Netflix is also preparing to launch a new wordle-like game in collaboration with TED later this month.