Netflix to ditch interactive movies and shows, but games remain in favour

First published: Nov 4 | Updated: Nov 5

• Netflix is reportedly stepping back from interactive moves and games
• According to recent news, it'll be dumping all currently available ones by December
• A greater emphasis is set to be placed on regular games

You know, sometimes the easiest way to win is not to play. And in the case of gaming (particularly mobile) that seems to be especially true - with recent news that Netflix is set to end their experiment with interactive movies and television shows. According to recent news reports by the outlet Game Developer, Netflix could dump their entire lineup of interactive media as soon as December 1st.

While we don't know the fate of major projects like Bandersnatch, reports do point out that the creator of at least one show, Battle Kitty, has gone on record stating it'll soon disappear from the streamer's lineup. It's a fairly ignoble end to an interesting experiment, and a pretty dire moment in media preservation, with none of these shows or movies having any way to play them outside of Netflix.

Game over

Netflix pretty much put the writing on the wall for their interactive shows way back in January. But this announcement, coupled with the closure of the streamer's highly-touted AAA game studio Team Blue is definitely giving some of us here pause for thought.

While Netflix Games remains promising, given the fanfare that Bandersnatch and their interactive content released to I wouldn't blame you for being worried that their traditional games service could be next to face cuts if they're willing to axe these other headline grabbers. Especially with the platform seemingly all set to fully embrace AI as a new major project.

It's a real shame as well, we haven't got a curated list of the best Netflix games for nothing, and the ability to grab award-winners like Hades or indie hits like Into the Breach for essentially nothing is one of the great things about Netflix Games. I do think interactive shows and movies weren't destined to be a long-standing addition to the lineup, but still, this seems like a brash way of moving them on.