Netflix and Game? The Streaming Service Announces Plans to Add Interactive Minecraft Stories

We checked the date, it’s not April Fools. 

Netflix doesn’t really call it gaming, instead interactive storytelling, but could this be a sign of things to come? 

TechRadar reported this week that Netflix will be partnering with Minecraft to create interactive stories that kids can “play” on the streaming service. Think of these more like ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ and less like sandbox mode, but nonetheless, it does show some possible fertile ground for the service.

This isn’t he first interactive story that Netflix is producing, with several others under different names in the kids section of their streaming library. 

From Netflix:

We can confirm Minecraft: Story Mode is a licensed 5-episode interactive narrative series coming to our service this fall. It’s an extension of our other interactive stories we have on our service like Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout, Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale and Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile.

So where does this potentially expand in the coming years?

We have a hunch that Netflix is probably exploring the potential to get into “streaming games.” Similar to other subscription gaming services, we could totally see a world where a service as large and expansive as Netflix could want to take on new market opportunities. Would it involve buying a controller or other similar equipment? No idea, but the concept certainly seems interesting.

Apple TV, for example, another staple among cord cutters, has a pretty robust gaming community on their app-like gaming. Netflix could probably jump into something similar.

Another area for expansion for Netflix, the live gaming stream. Twitch is a household game among video game players, with top streamers now celebrities for their skills. Netflix has a massive platform that could create for some interesting competition when it comes to streaming gameplay, gaming tournaments, etc.