As of December 1, Netflix will remove almost all its interactive series and movies on the platform. Netflix’s “Interactive Special” page currently has 24 movies, but only four of them ( Black Mirror: Bandersnatch , Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend , Ranveer vs. Wild with Bear Grylls and You vs. Wild ) will remain on the list.
The removal of these films marks the end of Netflix’s early efforts at interactive content. The company first started releasing interactive movies in 2017 with Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is perhaps one of the most notable titles on this list.
In addition to specials based on series like Carmen Sandiego and Boss Baby, Netflix has also experimented with ideas like a daily quiz series and a trivia game you can play with a friend. However, the fact that there are relatively few productions on this list shows that the format does not attract much attention.
“The technology has served its purpose, but it has become limiting as we are currently focused on technological efforts in other areas,” company spokesperson Chrissy Kelleher said in a conversation with The Verge.
Confirmation of this decision comes after Netflix’s former game executive Mike Verdu said in a conversation with Game File’s Stephen Totilo that the company no longer produces interactive movies.
The delistings could be seen as another sign that Netflix is struggling to gain a foothold in the gaming industry. Even though Netflix has a pretty good roster of mobile games, the company recently shut down a AAA game studio before it even released games. And while it’s been more than a year since the beta version of Netflix’s game streaming service entered its testing phase in the US, the service is still not generally available.
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