As the first pioneering platform to truly embrace the streamed TV model, Netflix has always been on the front line of innovating with their content. Like all experiments, though, they don’t necessarily always work out exactly as planned. Today we’re checking in on some of Netflix’s more creative projects and whether they’ve proven to be successful or not.
Interactive Games
Netflix have been building up a collection of interactive game shows that mostly fall in the category of quick-fire trivia. As the streaming giant expands into the realm of mobile gaming, what other types of content might they make available? It’s possible that digital casinos could be the next frontier for the streamer
In this case, Netlfix have some groundwork laid out for them by another wing of the entertainment industry: online casinos. Virtual casinos have long used elements of game show aesthetics for their variants on classic games such as Spin Till You Win with bright colors and a lot of movement, and they took those same elements into their full-blown casino game shows like Crazy Time and Monopoly Live.
If Netflix continue to add interactivity into their user experience, it’s likely that digital casinos will begin to appear on the platform in no time.
Source: Pexels
Interactive TV
At the other end of the success scale is Netflix’s small and shrinking library of interactive shows and movies. These shows are essentially ones where the audience can choose their own route through to a number of different endings, with key events and plot lines changing based on user decisions. The platform made entertainment headlines a relatively short time ago with the launch of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, a fully-interactive edition of the dark sci-fi series.
As it stands, that flagship project may soon end up being one of the few surviving examples left in the Netflix collection. Thanks to the effort needed to make a show with this format, coupled with the underwhelming number of meaningful choices offered disappointing users, the payoff compared to the investment is simply not proving worthwhile.
VR Shows
While there isn’t a lot to show for shows produced by Netflix that are specifically designed for virtual reality headset users, the company has certainly started dipping their toes in the VR water. For the majority of the 2010s, they operated a dedicated Netflix app for major headset manufacturers such as the Oculus Quest.
Source: Pexels
With the recent news that the Netflix Quest app will no longer be receiving updates, their future interest is a little hard to gauge. They have also released a few smaller VR show projects in the past couple of years which seem to be testing audience interest, but so far they’ve not committed to full-scale series. Many in the industry suggest that platforms are waiting for VR headsets to become more widespread before they invest serious resources in the format.
We have no doubt that Netflix will continue to try and experiment with new formats and systems going forward, especially with the streaming industry now becoming congested. It’s just a matter of seeing whether their shaky experiments make them a little less confident with their efforts.
