An innovative new “branching narrative” TV app is being launched by HBO and Academy Award-winning movie director Steven Soderbergh, which will let audiences make active decisions that will help shape the story’s outcome.

A linear version of the show, Mosaic, is set to debut on TV in January 2018. However, the app version isn’t just a bit of advance promo, but a fully-fledged part of the experience, which reportedly took three years to develop.

Both versions of the show will feature stars Sharon Stone, Garrett Hedlund, Beau Bridges, Paul Reubens, and others. It’s not quite clear how exactly the app will work, but from the sound of things you’ll be able to watch extended versions of the six-part series, with additional materials such as newspaper clippings and voice recordings that will help deepen the viewing experience.

Little is known about the show, but it is thought to be a murder mystery of some kind. Users of the app will be able to make decisions that will influence certain elements of the plot. They can then compare these to the linear version of the show that airs. “While branching narratives have been around forever, technology now allows, I hope, for a more elegant, intuitive form of engagement than used to be possible,” Soderbergh said in a statement.

The Mosaic app will be available to download for free in the iOS App Store, starting in November. Color us intrigued.

Source: Medium