Courtesy of Tinder
Dating app Tinder is expanding the scope of its original series “Swipe Night” for its second season, which is designed to engage users in a “Gen-Z whodunit.”
Following a successful first outing in 2019 — both in viewership and love matches — Tinder is adding more storytelling finesse to the series in its second outing as the digital brand experiments with narrative content to drive membership and usage.
While Season 1 was an interactive journey about the last day on earth, the new episodes will focus on what the company is billing as a murder mystery designed to match Tinder users based on their hunches about an unfolding crime. Adding more tech juice to the experience is the recent feature Fast Chat, which allows users to connect and share clues and theories without having sparked a formal match.
In step with the first season, users will dictate the narrative flow through a series of plot choices. For Season 2, the end of each episode will prompt users to choose a murder suspect, which changes outcomes and allows for more lively conversation in Fast Chat.
“‘Swipe Night’ paved the way for social entertainment experiences on Tinder, which have become an incredibly popular way for members to match and interact with new connections,” Tinder CEO Jim Lanzone told Variety. “We can’t wait for people to experience this new storyline, a mystery that will certainly give them a lot to talk about as they work together to figure out who did it.”
Tinder estimates 20 million users engaged with Season 1 after its 2019 premiere, and saw a 26% increase in matches as a result. Season 1 earned the Entertainment Grand Prix laurel at Cannes Lions 2021. Though music video and “Gossip Girl” reboot director Karena Evans was set to return as helmer of “Swipe Night,” scheduling conflicts have taken her off the series. A new creative team will be announced soon.
The “Swipe Night” experience will be available in Tinder’s newly-launched Explore section, which expands the way members can meet new people. Explore was announced last month as part of a growing array of features that Tinder hopes will be embraced by Gen Z users as a means to express themselves, discover more about others and find new matches.
Variety's Matt Donnelly contributed to this post.
https://variety.com/2021/streaming/news/tinder-swipe-night-season-2-murder-mystery-1235038715/#recipient_hashed=27d3e1decbdd57f8473998652dd3259302a49d011cd4c3c98101f80952412574
