Bad news for Netflix users, since on December 1, 20 of the content available on the service will be eliminated. The worst of all is that these are original Netflix productions and their elimination responds to an obvious reality: the platform was wrong to bet on their presence in the catalog. However, there are users who are upset and do not understand the reason for this decision.
December 1 is the date on which most of the interactive series and movies that Netflix has produced over the years will disappear. The service launched this type of initiative in 2017 with the intention of making it a success within its platform. But, although some of the premieres were received, others passed without pain or glory. Now, the platform says goodbye to interactive content.
Only four will survive
In total, over time, Netflix has produced 24 interactive titles. Of this total, the platform has confirmed that only four of them will be kept in the catalog. The rest will disappear and, in principle, there will be no way to access it. Taking into account that there are no physical editions and that they are exclusive Netflix content, it is most likely that they will be forgotten just as other digital content has done before.
Although some of these series and movies had not caused a special impact, it must be recognized that several of them had many fans. For example, the interactive version of Carmen Sandiego had enchanted the little ones in the house, who had a different way of interacting with the most famous thief in animation and video games. The same had happened with the interactive version of Boss Baby, in which we accompanied the fun protagonist on an exclusive adventure.
The titles that will continue to be available, at least for now, will be Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Surviving is the Challenge: With Ranveer and Bear Grylls and Surviving is the Challenge. Taking into account the large investment that these programs required, where Netflix put a good amount of funds, it is logical that they continue to be available for now. In particular, it is good news to know that the interactive episode of Black Mirror will continue to be visible, since it was the first contact with the interactive format for thousands of people. In that unforgettable episode, users faced the terror of an adventure that could have a multitude of endings.
Content that we will miss
The initiative was very original. It was about bringing the Choose Your Own Adventure books to television format, using the controller to decide what we wanted the character to do. This caused the development of the story to change and take us to different points and possible outcomes. In children’s productions, the concept was simpler, but in programs like Bandersnatch, the truth is that it impressed and became one of the most viral songs at the time of its premiere.
With the disappearance of this commitment to the interactive format, Netflix is recognizing an error that, perhaps, if it had received more support could have triumphed. But the most likely thing is that the audience figures speak for themselves and that they are not content that is having too much popularity. The deletion of the 20 mentioned contents means the disappearance of everything that is included in the “Interactive Specials” section with the exception of the four contents that we have indicated.
Due to this script twist, some of the interactive content that will disappear includes Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Mysterious Adventure, Escape from the Undertaker, Barbie Epic Road Trip or Spirit Riding Free Ride with me, among other content. It is curious that, based on this, the Jurassic Park special is going to disappear considering that the series is very successful on Netflix, while it is also strange that Escape from the Undertaker will be eliminated in view of the fact that, in 2025, the service will begin broadcasting WWE live.
They say from Netflix that “This technology has served its purpose, but is now limiting our ability to focus on technological efforts in other areas.” And all this sounds understandable, but what is strange is that they are going to eliminate the content that is already available.
