Headline: Stir up a Fuss: Save the Visionary Interactive Masterpiece, "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch"!
Supporters Mobilize to Preserve 'Bandersnatch' Following Netflix's Decision to Eliminate Interactive Content
When renowned futurist and journalist, Katie Schultz, heard the shocking news that Netflix was dumping the groundbreaking interactive episode "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," she launched a fierce crusade for preserving a crucial milestone in streaming history. Igniting a Change.org petition with more than 6,500 signatures, Schultz called on Netflix to save this revolutionary piece of digital media and put an end to the so-called "digital erasure."
🚨BREAKING NEWS: Netflix is deleting Bandersnatch FOREVER on May 12th! No DVD. No archive. All interactive videos are being removed from the platform entirely. Sign the petition & fight to keep this masterpiece alive! https://t.co/FSKbvtcBhp#BandersnatchForever
- MISS M ΞTΛVΞ RSΞ (@missmetaverse) May 8, 2025
Out with the Old, in with the AI?
Introduced in December 2018, "Bandersnatch" was the first foray into interactive video media by Netflix. Inspired by the popular 1980s "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, the episode employed Netflix's proprietary Branch Manager engine to deliver a non-linear narrative and usher in a new era of storytelling. The streaming giant later applied this technology to a host of interactive experiences, spawning hits like "Minecraft: Story Mode" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend."
However, with the sudden demise of the interactive format, frustration spilled over amongst fans. "This isn't just about saving a show," said Schultz in an interview with Decrypt. "This is about history, a chapter in technology and media that needs to be preserved."
Many disheartened viewers expressed their outrage on Reddit:
"This is absurd, Bandersnatch is such a marvel in terms of art, storytelling, and technology," one Redditor affirmed. "I signed the petition and I'll be (mournfully) watching it again tomorrow.... potentially for the last time. This is a massive failure on Netflix's part. Shame on them."
"Welp, after this, I have officially given up on Netflix," admitted another disappointed fan. "The interactives helped better my experience on Netflix over the years, and with them gone, what reason do I have to stay on Netflix any longer?"
A Time Capsule Lost Forever?
With the demise of Bandersnatch, advocates fear the Chapter Manager engine that powered this technological marvel also faces the dustbin of history. "It's not just the show that's being taken offline, but the engine that powered it too," lamented Schultz. "So netflix has retired, not only a show, but an entire chapter of digital media history."
Schultz and collaborator Scott Reinhart have sparked a conversation about the importance of preserving digital media content, particularly innovative interactive projects like Bandersnatch. Rehart drew comparisons between the disappearance of Bandersnatch and the infamous case of Atari burying hundreds of thousands of unsold "E.T" video game cartridges in 1983. In September 1983, video game publisher Atari buried numerous unsold video game cartridges, including the disappointing "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," in a New Mexico landfill, potentially covered with concrete to deter scavengers.
Unlike E.T., which some say remains buried under concrete, Schultz and Reinhart are worried Bandersnatch will quietly vanish forever from the digital landscape, lost to the sands of time. Worried about the stifling effect of Netflix's proprietary hold on its interactive content, Reinhart opined that this blockade on future developers prevents them from creating immersive multimedia experiences.
The Quest for Preservation
The Bandersnatch petition isn't about indulging in nostalgia or celebrating an affection for retro Choose Your Own adventure books or text-based games. As Schultz stated, "Younger generations deserve the chance to experience this era and learn about interactive media's foundations."
This push for preservation may not be separated from personal sentimentality. However, Schultz and Reinhart believe the stakes are dramatically higher today, given the potential for deep, meaningful, interactive narratives and the loss of historical significance if such content disappears.
In a bid to preserve Bandersnatch, Schultz has urged Netflix to consider re-releasing the content on their gaming platform or passing it on to a third party such as Steam. This move could ensure that the intricate design of this interactive episode, with endings that have never been unlocked and cut content waiting to be seen, still receives the attention it deserves.
Netflix has not responded to Decrypt's request for comment regarding the Bandersnatch removal and preservation advocates' pleas. However, this debate about the importance of preserving interactive digital media could have far-reaching implications for the future of storytelling, particularly as technology continues to evolve and provide creators with new ways to engage audiences.
- Katie Schultz, a futurist and journalist, is leading a campaign to save the pioneering interactive episode "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," which Netflix plans to delete on May 12th, calling it a crucial milestone in digital media history.
- The removal of "Bandersnatch" raises concerns about the disposal of the Chapter Manager engine that powered this revolutionary interactive video, potentially marking the end of a chapter in digital media history.
- The advocacy for preserving "Bandersnatch" is not simply about nostalgia or celebrating retro Choose Your Own adventure books or text-based games, but about providing younger generations the opportunity to learn about interactive media's foundations.
- Scott Reinhart, collaborating with Schultz, points out that Netflix's proprietary hold on its interactive content blocks future developers from creating innovative multimedia experiences, reflecting the Atari's burial of unsold "E.T" video game cartridges in 1983.
- Schultz proposes that Netflix re-release "Bandersnatch" on their gaming platform or transfer it to a third party like Steam to ensure that the intricate design of this interactive episode still receives recognition.
- As technology advances and offers new ways for creators to engage audiences, the debate about preserving interactive digital media like "Bandersnatch" takes on significant implications for the future of storytelling in web3, cryptocurrency, and the expanding metaverse, even influencing pop-culture, movies-and-tv, and social-media interactions.
