In the wave of digital entertainment, interactive dramas were once regarded as a bridge between film, television and games, and it attracted the attention of many users with its unique narrative and sense of participation. However, just when this market seems to be booming, ByteDance unexpectedly announced the closure of a number of its interactive drama businesses, including Bubble Heart, Claw Claw Heart and Jelly Heart. This decision has undoubtedly aroused widespread attention and heated discussions inside and outside the industry: Is interactive drama no longer "fragrant"?
The concept of interactive drama is not new, and in the past few years, this format has been tried in the domestic and foreign markets. In the case of Netflix's Black Mirror: Pandanaski, users can influence the ending of the story by choosing different plot directions, and this novel movie-watching experience was once considered a major innovation in the film and television industry.
ByteDance's exploration in this field began in 2020, when the giant engine tested the first interactive novel APP "Qianli Interactive", which ultimately failed to become popular, but accumulated valuable experience for Byte's deep cultivation in the field of interactive content. With the popularity of the short drama market, the interactive drama business has also ushered in the "fast lane" of development, and ByteDance launched the self-made interactive drama "Back to 1990: Beauty Like a Cloud" last year, trying to occupy a place in this field.
Although interactive drama has great appeal in theory, it faces many challenges in practice. The production cost of interactive dramas is much higher than that of traditional film and television works. Due to the need to produce more content materials and implement complex technical architectures, more resources need to be invested in multiple links from scene construction, actor performances to post-production. Byte's self-made interactive drama "Back to 1990: Beauty Like a Cloud" has only 79,000 views in the Douyin app, far lower than the more than 1 million, 10 million, or even more than 100 million views of other interactive dramas. In addition, the membership price of 199 yuan/month is also considered to be on the high side, and users can experience more interactive drama works on other platforms at the same price.
In addition to ByteDance, multiple platforms such as Reading, Kuaishou, and Chinese Online are also actively deploying in an attempt to get a piece of the pie. The actions of these platforms show that despite ByteDance's temporary withdrawal, the exploration of the interactive drama market is not over.
Although ByteDance's interactive drama business has suffered a setback, this does not mean that interactive dramas have withdrawn from the stage of history. In the long run, interactive drama, as a new form of content, still has space and value for exploration. It provides users with a more immersive experience that meets people's needs for personalization and engagement.
In the future, the development of interactive dramas may pay more attention to the coherence of the plot, the enhancement of interactivity, and the improvement of immersion. At the same time, with the advancement of technology, the reduction of production costs will also be a key factor in promoting the development of interactive dramas. In addition, the business model of interactive dramas also needs to be further explored and innovated to adapt to the changing market demand.
The news of ByteDance's shutdown of the interactive drama business has undoubtedly sounded the alarm for the industry. The future development of interactive dramas requires more practice and exploration, and it also requires joint efforts both inside and outside the industry. Only continuous innovation can truly stimulate the potential of interactive drama and make this emerging form of content bloom with its due brilliance.