It's your last chance to try Netflix's interactive shows
Statistics say 83.333% of Netflix's interactive bits are to exit stage left, stat!
Netflix is about to remove almost all of its interactive TV content. Now’s the time to give it a try if you haven’t yet.
Missed this entire trend? You’re not alone. Netflix began producing interactive shows in 2017, with Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale.
You might think of it as the TV version of one of those classic Choose-Your-Own-Adventure / Fighting Fantasy novels, where you’d skip to paragraph 243 if you choose to open the door on the right, or paragraph 181 if you jump down the trapdoor instead. But with fewer gruesome deaths.
Netflix picked up far more headlines the year after when Black Mirror went interactive in 2018, with Bandersnatch.
And, to be honest, the interactive Netflix show trend has never really picked up remotely close to that cultural momentum since.
There is a specific Netflix category for this interactive stuff, though. And as you might guess, the majority of its wares are for kids.
24 shows make up this category and, according to The Verge, 20 of them will disappear at the start of December,
Those staying in Netflix’s library are Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Ranveer vs. Wild with Bear Grylls, and You vs. Wild.
What do they have in common? These are the Netflix interactive titles most likely to have some appeal among adults as well as kids.
But if you want to try Carmon San Diego: To Steal or Not to Steal, or Captain Underpants Epic Choice-o-Rama, it’s time to get your skates on.
"The technology served its purpose, but is now limiting as we focus on technological efforts in other areas,” Netflix’s Chrissy Kelleher told The Verge.
Netflix does, of course, offer some other way more interactive content. A subscription grants you access to a proper treasure trove of mobile games, including Monument Valley 2, Bloons TD 6, GTA: Vice City and Oxenfree, among others.
There are some proper classics in the Netflix games library. But we’ve also had bad news recently about Netlix's larger gaming ambitions.
Netflix closed down its Team Blue game studio a couple of weeks ago, as confirmed by Gamefile. Team Blue was going to make AAA games, but didn't put out a single title before being wound down.
Netflix’s Mike Verdu now says the streamer is going big on using generative AI to make games. He announced his new job as Vice President of GenAI for Games at Netflix on LinkedIn recently, predictably accompanied by some generic "AI slop" artwork. Nice one.