Netflix premiered the seventh season of Black Mirror this Thursday, marking the release with a dark, interactive companion experience. The streaming giant introduced a new mobile game titled “Thronglets”, developed by its internal Night School Studio to tie directly into the episode “Plaything.”
A Deceptive Virtual Pet Experience
At first glance, Thronglets mirrors the mechanics of classic virtual pet simulators like Tamagotchi. Players are tasked with nurturing yellow creatures, ensuring their survival as they replicate. As the population grows, the logistical challenge of managing their needs intensifies. The creatures are capable of gathering resources, advancing technology, exploring new environments, and unlocking structural tools to accelerate progress.
However, the game quickly pivots into Black Mirror territory. These creatures are sentient and communicate directly with the player, often suggesting unsettling solutions to problems. For instance, if a player uses an axe to clear trees, the creatures might propose that using the bones of their own kind is a more efficient method. This forces the player into a grim moral dilemma: sacrifice creatures to optimize gameplay or seek alternative paths.
Strategic Pivot in Netflix Gaming
The release of Thronglets signals a refined focus for Netflix’s gaming division, which has previously faced criticism for lacking a cohesive strategy. The company has officially narrowed its development scope to four core pillars: narrative games tied to original shows, multiplayer party games, titles for children, and potential mainstream hits.
This shift follows the cancellation of Netflix Stories, a narrative-driven project that failed to gain significant traction. By anchoring Thronglets to a high-profile series like Black Mirror, Netflix is leaning into its strongest asset: its internal intellectual property.
Mainstream Ambitions
According to Jeet Shroff, Vice President of Games Technology and Portfolio Development, the focus on “mainstream” titles is intended to capitalize on the massive audiences already engaging with Netflix content. This strategy has already seen success with Squid Game: Unleashed, which has reportedly surpassed 20 million downloads.
This marks a significant milestone for the platform, as it represents the first time Netflix has integrated a game directly into the narrative framework of a specific episode. Subscribers can download Thronglets now on both iOS and Android devices.