Telltales Stanger Things? It might not be as far out there as you think

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**Update:** Netflix confirmed in an email that Minecraft: Story Mode is indeed coming to the streaming service and will follow the format of interactive storytelling programs like Puss in Book (see below). It will be a 5-episode series, coming this fall.

Telltale’s Stranger Things, while developed in cooperation with Netflix, is not currently planned to launch in the same manner. Expect it to arrive as previous Telltale projects have, which is to say most likely on console, PC, and mobile devices. Right now, Minecraft is the only confirmed game being adapted to Netflix’s interactive storytelling.

Lastly, on the topic of games streaming, Netflix had the following to say: “We don’t have any plans to get into gaming. There’s a broad spectrum of entertainment available today. Games have become increasingly cinematic, but we view this as interactive narrative storytelling on our service.”

Original story: As streaming becomes an ever more popular option for home entertainment, many have wondered: who will get it right? Who will offer up the right library of games, at the right price, at the right speeds? In other words, who will be ‘the Netflix of video games’? Well, would you believe… Netflix?

According to a TechRadar (opens in new tab) report citing anonymous sources (that’s your cue to bust out your grains of salt), Netflix has partnered with Telltale Games, and will add Minecraft: Story Mode to its service soon – potentially even as early as this year. Minecraft: Story Mode is already available on pretty much every electronic entertainment device under the sun (including PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS and Android mobile devices, even AppleTV) so it’s not terribly surprising that Netflix wants a version you can play with a TV remote.

But such controls wouldn’t be as accurate or responsive as those on a gamepad or touchscreen, so the version of Minecraft coming to Netflix will reportedly be delivered as video files. That means simplified storytelling that progresses automatically, and likely no interactive battle sequences. If you’ve seen programs like Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, you might already be familiar with how this will go down. And if you haven’t, here’s a trailer:

Now, clearly this isn’t as robust a service as something like EA Access or Xbox Game Pass (opens in new tab), but if it goes well, who knows what the technology could grow into?

Separate from its streaming plans, Netflix also plans to partner with Telltale on a Stranger Things (opens in new tab) adventure game. There are no confirmed details (aside from it’s happening (opens in new tab)), but it makes sense. Stranger Things is already rife with game imagery and parallels, from the boys playing Dungeons & Dragons to the arcade from season 2’s opening, so literally turning it into a choose-your-own-path game fits.

If the report is accurate, the only question is when will Netflix announce this partnership? Netflix and Telltale already missed their chance to count a Stranger Things adaptation among the list of E3 2018 games (opens in new tab), but maybe once we know more about Stranger Things season 3 (opens in new tab) – a release date, perhaps? – we’ll find out more.

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