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"Bandersnatch," Netflix's interactive Black Mirror Episode, is proving to be quite popular. Many are calling it "the dawn on interactive TV," but gamesindustry.biz points out that it's also drumming up commercial interest in similar efforts from the gaming industry. With cinematic experiences ranging from "walking simulators" and heavily story driven games to full-on FMVs and interactive videos, game developers have been crafting these kinds of experiences for decades. But several industry experts point out that there's a big divide between Netflix viewing audiences and gamers. Among other things, they say content producers need to stop using terms that are strictly associated with either industry, and act like the genres are already converging in order to encourage more consumer crossover.
"[Bandersnatch] reached all the existing Black Mirror fans, and potentially millions of Netflix subscribers who can easily access the content for free," he says. "This should have a positive effect for anyone working on similar projects, but only time will tell. It's still going to be hard to convert a non-gaming Netflix viewer into someone that's going to buy a console, or download a game to their computer just because of Bandersnatch." Therein lies a barrier to that opportunity. Bandersnatch is accessible through Netflix, to which millions are already subscribed, but interactive movie games require a separate purchase. Additionally, Bandersnatch can be enjoyed through almost any device, while games must be played on the platform for which they were purchased.
"[Bandersnatch] reached all the existing Black Mirror fans, and potentially millions of Netflix subscribers who can easily access the content for free," he says. "This should have a positive effect for anyone working on similar projects, but only time will tell. It's still going to be hard to convert a non-gaming Netflix viewer into someone that's going to buy a console, or download a game to their computer just because of Bandersnatch." Therein lies a barrier to that opportunity. Bandersnatch is accessible through Netflix, to which millions are already subscribed, but interactive movie games require a separate purchase. Additionally, Bandersnatch can be enjoyed through almost any device, while games must be played on the platform for which they were purchased.