Netflix to delist most of its interactive titles

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend will still be available

Netflix is delisting nearly all of its interactive shows and films as of December 1st, the streaming company told The Verge.

At the moment, Netflix has 24 interactive specials, but the company is only keeping four of them: Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Ranveer vs. Wild with Bear Grylls, and You vs. Wild.

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

It’s unclear when the company made this decision, but former Netflix gaming boss Mike Verdu told Game File that the company wasn’t building any more interactive titles. Verdu recently announced he’s the new VP of GenAI for Games at Netflix.

The company keeps trying to find its footing in the gaming space. The interactive series was part of this venture but didn’t stick. The company has also shut down its AAA game studio and has yet to push out its game streaming beta.

Netflix has a number of mobile games, many based off their own TV shows, some of which are pretty fun. It also seems with Verdu now being the VP of GenAI for Games, Netflix is making another pivot. Verdu made the following statement on his LinkedIn page:

My new role is about driving a “once in a generation” inflection point for game development and player experiences using generative AI. This transformational technology will accelerate the velocity of development and unlock truly novel game experiences that will surprise, delight, and inspire our members. I am focused on a creator-first vision for AI, one that puts creative talent at the center, with AI being a catalyst and an accelerant. AI will enable big game teams to move much faster, and will also put almost unimaginable new power in the hands of developers in smaller game teams. We’re on the cusp of a golden age in game development, and my mission is to make Netflix a leader on the other side of the transformation.

This isn’t very descriptive, but it sounds like the company plans to release games faster than other developers. Hopefully, “Gen AI game development” isn’t hell for the dev team behind these future titles.

Source: The Verge

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