Netflix Removes BLACK MIRROR: BANDEERSNATCH From Streaming and Pulls the Plug on Its Interactive Era

Netflix has confirmed that Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the genre-defying interactive choose-your-own-adventure movie, is being removed from the platform on May 12, 2025. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend, the quirky choose-your-own-adventure follow-up to the hit comedy series, will also vanish on that date. With their departure, Netflix officially closes the book on its short-lived experiment with interactive storytelling.Back when Bandersnatch dropped in late 2018, it was an ambitious standalone Black Mirror experience that starred Fionn Whitehead and Will Poulter and gave viewers control over the narrative, branching into multiple endings across 312 minutes of total footage. The series was described as a “mind-bending tale with multiple endings,” and the story followed a young programmer in 1984 who begins adapting a fantasy novel written by a deranged author into a video game. As reality fractures, the viewer guides him through choices that determine how—and if—he survives the psychological spiral.After the release, Netflix was all-in on the format. Todd Yellin, then Netflix’s VP of product, said the company planned to “double down” on interactive content. But that push quietly faded away. Yellin left in 2022, and now the final remnants of that experiment are getting scrubbed.A Netflix spokesperson explained that the technology used in Bandersnatch “served its purpose, but is now limiting as we focus on technological efforts in other areas.”And where exactly is Netflix pointing its tech efforts now? Games. The streamer has gone all-in on building a game portfolio. Its recently revamped TV interface now features playable games on smart TVs, including Too Hot to Handle 3 and Oxenfree—an “interactive story” you control with your phone. So, interactivity isn’t completely dead, but the choose-your-own-movie format as we knew it is getting retired.As for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend, that one dropped in 2020 as a farewell to the sitcom’s four-season run. The description read: “Kimmy’s getting married, but first she has to foil the Reverend’s evil plot. It’s your move: What should she do next?” In the original announcement, co-creator Tina Fey said the interactive finale “will be a great way to officially complete the series.”Now, ironically, both projects that were once billed as “the future of television” are being quietly deleted.Source: Variety

May 12, 2025 - 22:28

Netflix Removes BLACK MIRROR: BANDEERSNATCH From Streaming and Pulls the Plug on Its Interactive Era

Netflix has confirmed that Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the genre-defying interactive choose-your-own-adventure movie, is being removed from the platform on May 12, 2025.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend, the quirky choose-your-own-adventure follow-up to the hit comedy series, will also vanish on that date. With their departure, Netflix officially closes the book on its short-lived experiment with interactive storytelling.

Back when Bandersnatch dropped in late 2018, it was an ambitious standalone Black Mirror experience that starred Fionn Whitehead and Will Poulter and gave viewers control over the narrative, branching into multiple endings across 312 minutes of total footage.

The series was described as a “mind-bending tale with multiple endings,” and the story followed a young programmer in 1984 who begins adapting a fantasy novel written by a deranged author into a video game.

As reality fractures, the viewer guides him through choices that determine how—and if—he survives the psychological spiral.

After the release, Netflix was all-in on the format. Todd Yellin, then Netflix’s VP of product, said the company planned to “double down” on interactive content. But that push quietly faded away. Yellin left in 2022, and now the final remnants of that experiment are getting scrubbed.

A Netflix spokesperson explained that the technology used in Bandersnatch “served its purpose, but is now limiting as we focus on technological efforts in other areas.”

And where exactly is Netflix pointing its tech efforts now? Games. The streamer has gone all-in on building a game portfolio. Its recently revamped TV interface now features playable games on smart TVs, including Too Hot to Handle 3 and Oxenfree—an “interactive story” you control with your phone.

So, interactivity isn’t completely dead, but the choose-your-own-movie format as we knew it is getting retired.

As for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend, that one dropped in 2020 as a farewell to the sitcom’s four-season run. The description read: “Kimmy’s getting married, but first she has to foil the Reverend’s evil plot. It’s your move: What should she do next?”

In the original announcement, co-creator Tina Fey said the interactive finale “will be a great way to officially complete the series.”

Now, ironically, both projects that were once billed as “the future of television” are being quietly deleted.

Source: Variety