Netflix has noticed its viewers are in the mood for romance this fall and it is catering to that demographic with the release of its next two “Netflix Stories” mobile games: one based on wedding-murder mystery “The Perfect Couple” and the other a holiday-themed title featuring the characters from “Virgin River.”
“Netflix Stories: A Virgin River Christmas” will debut Nov. 19 via the Netflix Stories app and be free to play for all Netflix subscribers. The game drops one month out from the “Virgin River” Season 5 premiere Dec. 19.
A followup to Netflix’s “Netflix Stories: Virgin River” game, which launched in May, this four-chapter story takes players to the town of Virgin River at Christmastime and features show characters Mel, Jack, Preacher, Hope and Doc interacting with the player through holiday activities. The game also allows users to romance Mike, Brady, Brie or new in-game love interests.
Here’s the synopsis for the “Virgin River” holiday-themed mobile game:
You’re a writer with a deadline to finish your novel by Christmas and a bad case of writer’s block, so you escape to Virgin River for the holidays to rent out a remote cabin and write. You believe what you need is to hunker down and not see anyone for a few days, but on your first day in town, Mel shows up at your door and invites you to the town’s Christmas Village, where you meet, Jack, Hope, Lizzie, Connie, and two very cute love interests.
Inspiration to finish your novel ends up coming in the form of community, love, and connection. Over your stay in Virgin River, you’ll participate in the big annual Christmas tree decorating competition, do the polar bear plunge with your love interest, attend a stocking decorating party at Mel’s cabin, have a first kiss under the mistletoe, and experience an unexpected snowfall on Christmas morning as you send off your finished novel to your agent. By the end, one thing is clear – your time in Virgin River has been the start of something really big, and it’s only the beginning.
On Dec. 3, Netflix will launch the “The Perfect Couple” game, “Netflix Stories: A Perfect Couple,” which puts players into the story as a bridesmaid in Nantucket’s wedding of the summer just as the maid of honor turns up dead.
Per Netflix’s description for the “Perfect Couple” game, “When your friend Amelia invites you to be a bridesmaid for her dreamy Nantucket wedding, you leap at the opportunity to visit the idyllic island and experience a weekend of luxury, leisure, and maybe a little romance. You’ll be put up at Summerland, the picturesque home of the Winburys, a wealthy and influential family—so you pack your best outfits and catch the ferry, ready for an unforgettable weekend. Everything is picture-perfect until you black out the night of the rehearsal dinner and wake up to discover the lifeless body of Merritt, the maid of honor, the next morning. You can’t remember what happened the night of Merritt’s murder, but you find evidence suggesting that you played a role in her death. As the murder investigation heats up, you’ll have to carefully navigate the tangled web of relationships between the Winburys, Amelia, and your love interests.”
“Netflix Stories: A Perfect Couple” is a nine-chapter story with four different potential endings. The title blends elements of the Netflix limited series adaptation of “The Perfect Couple,” which debuted Sept. 5, and details from the Elin Hilderbrand book of the same name that it the show is based on, and is intended to be replayed multiple times.
These titles join the growing list of offerings in the “Netflix Stories” app, the home for a set of interactive fiction games based on Netflix series like “Love is Blind,” “Emily in Paris,” “Outer Banks” and “Perfect Match.” The “Netflix Stories” app and “Too Hot to Handle: Love is Blind” count among Netflix’s most popular games since the streamer launched its mobile gaming business in 2021.
The focus on more romance-centric gaming titles comes as Netflix is taking note of how much romance content resonants with its viewers.
According to Netflix, more than 100 different romance titles have been featured on its Global Top 10 since it began publishing the list in 2021 and a romance title has hit No. 1 on the list more than 10 times in 2024.
Notable hits ruling the TV charts this year include “Nobody Wants This,” which was recently renewed for Season 2, “Love Is Blind” Season 7, “Heartstopper” Season 3, “Emily in Paris” Season 4, and last but not least “Bridgerton” Season 3, which currently ranks at No. 6 on Netflix’s Most Popular English TV Series list with 106 million views.
On the film side, “Lonely Planet” drew 11 million views in its first four days following release, while “A Family Affair” spent five weeks in the Top 10 English Films List, and “Find Me Falling” held three weeks on the rankings. More romance movies are still to come from Netflix this year, with the upcoming releases of “Meet me Next Christmas,” “The Merry Gentleman,” “Our Little Secret.”