In June of this year, TechRadar broke the news that Netflix had partnered with Telltale Games to bring an adaptation of its popular Minecraft Story Mode game to Netflix’s Choose Your Own Adventure formula. Now, we know that Black Mirror is in for the same treatment, thanks to a Bloomberg report.
While previous titles in Netflix's Choose Your Own Adventure formula have been season-long adventures, this Black Mirror venture will only last a single episode that, according to Bloomberg, will be part of the show’s fifth season that’s due to come out in December.
Last year, Netflix tested a new type of content that it called "interactive series" that began with three kid-friendly shows (Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile and Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout) wherein the audience controlled the outcome of the story.
While Bloomberg only outed Black Mirror and Minecraft as two new interactive series coming to Netflix before the end of the year, the publication says Netflix is developing “a slate of specials” that will expand its existing offerings in that area.
Binge-watching with branching paths
A raft of new interactive titles would be an interesting choice for the service, as it has a clear lead in the space. (Netflix isn't the only company working on interactive video, obviously, but it is one of the biggest players in that space.)
The caveat to the Netflix news is that, while almost all smartphones work with this type of content, only certain TVs and streaming players are compatible with Netflix’s interactive adventures – Chromecast and Apple TV do not, for example.
Also, according to Netflix’s page on interactive content, “Android devices running Android 6.11 or later also support interactive content, but currently only have Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout available as an interactive title.”
Despite a few outliers, Netflix's interactive adventures are almost universally compatible with modern smart devices, and now only needs some universally appealing content to entice potential viewers.
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