Is crime-solving a good way to fall in love? Well, it worked for that couple on “Bones” and it might work for you on Tinder.
Tinder’s “Swipe Night” is an in-app, interactive show. Each episode, players make choices that affect how they view the story, then can match and chat with people who made similar choices.
“Swipe Night” originally debuted in 2019 with an apocalypse-themed story. It attracted 20m+ players, and on the dates it aired, matches increased by 26%. But despite its success (and an Emmy nom), Tinder scrapped it in 2020 due to the pandemic.
This time, it’s a classic whodunit about a murder at a birthday party. Some player choices reveal clues, but you can also weigh in on important topics like if bucket hats are fashionable. New episodes drop every Sunday.
Why a murder mystery? Kyle Miller, a product VP at Tinder, told Fast Company that they’re conversation starters (remember when everyone was obsessed with “True Detective”?). And a lot of Tinder users list true crime as an interest.
Netflix launched “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” in 2018, which let viewers make narrative choices to unlock multiple endings. If viewers didn’t make a choice, one was made for them, but Netflix found 94% of viewers were active participants.
Netflix has since launched several other interactive titles including crossovers with “Minecraft” and WWE.