The race to gamify streaming content seems to be ramping up following Netflix’s successful foray into the choose your own adventure space.
Last year, Wallmart partnered with EKO to the tune of $250 million and, as reported previously, Chooseco LLC, the original Choose Your Own Adventure publisher partnered with Amazon to bring their books to Alexa and audio books.
Well now, YouTube is getting into the space. They recently created a new unit to develop their own interactive content for the platform . The small team will be headed up by Ben Rells, who had been overseeing unscripted programming for the company previously.
Filmmakers and producers have tinkered with interactive film content for years, but the results have mostly remained a niche phenomenon outside of game development. However, citing technological advancement, YouTube claims the time was right to do some serious work in the space.
“We now have amazing new tools and opportunities to create and tell multilayered and interactive stories,” said Susanne Daniels, YouTube’s head of original programming in a statement to Bloomberg. “Ben has an intuitive and experienced understanding of how the platform can enhance content, making him the perfect choice to develop this exciting new division.”
More as it comes, interactive fiction fans!
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StoryFix Media produces interactive fiction games and novels. Our sci-fi text adventure The Pulse releases in 2019. Our novels New Horizons and The Blue Moon are available now.
StoryFix Media 