Image: Netflix
Netflix confirmed the cancellation of its interactive fiction platform, Netflix Stories, as part of a revised strategy for its gaming division. The app—which featured narrative-driven games based on popular shows like Love is Blind and Virgin River—will remain available for existing players to access previously released content.
Despite generating a significant 6.9 million downloads according to Sensor Tower estimates, Netflix is pivoting its games focus under president Alain Tascan. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference recently, Vice President of Games Technology and Portfolio Development Jeet Shroff said the company is moving from simply expanding its game library to strategically developing titles that maximize reach and innovate on the platform. Key focus areas now include narratives, party games, content for kids, and attracting mainstream audiences.
While Netflix Stories is being discontinued, the streaming giant is not entirely exiting the interactive fiction space. They have partnered with Series Entertainment and Pixelberry for Single's Inferno: Choices, which is in soft launch in the Philippines. This suggests Netflix will continue to explore interactive narratives within its broader, evolving games strategy.