Netflix is bringing choose-your-own-adventures to its video streaming service with the launch of new kids content.
First announced back in March, interactive content through Netflix is now available globally with the launch of Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale.
At 13 points during Puss in Book, the viewer is presented with alternative paths or choices that they can select using a remote or touch screen.
The runtime can vary from 18 to 39 minutes depending on the choices made, with two separate endings available.
“The intertwining of our engineers in Silicon Valley and the creative minds in Hollywood has opened up this new world of storytelling possibilities on Netflix,” Netflix’s director of product innovation Carla Engelbrecht said in a blog post.
“The children’s programming space was a natural place for us to start since kids are eager to “play” with their favorite characters and already inclined to tap, touch and swipe at screens. They also talk to their screens, as though the characters can hear them. Now, that conversation can be two-way. It’s really about finding the right stories – and storytellers – that can tell these complex narratives and bring them to life in a compelling way,” Engelbrecht said.
Another ‘branching narrative’ from Netflix, Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile, will launch next month, and a third, Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout, sometime next year.
Interactive content will initially be available through “many newer devices” according to Netflix, but users viewing through the Netflix website, Android devices, Chromecast or Apple TV aren’t currently able to access the content.
