Perhaps inadvertently, but the more mental difficulties Stefan faces, the better his creative output seems to be; with one scene explicitly suggesting that medication holds him back.
There’s also the one choice where killing his dad makes Stefan more productive; at this point he doesn’t even need to have dreamt/found out about PACS.
The first "bad" ending you come across, and which can never be changed, is that as a teenager entering a profession you've never tried before, trying to work with more experienced people will always result in Too Many Cooks Spoil the Soup and only a "mad" solitary genius can ever create anything worthwhile.
Dancing Bear: The main thing this movie will be remembered for is the interactivity gimmick.
Due to both being popular horror films released on Netflix December 2018, if one posts about Bandersnatch, you can expect for them to post about Bird Box and vice versa.
Genius Bonus: When Stefan and Colin debate about jumping off the balcony, Colin tells Stefan that death doesn't matter because there will be other timelines in which they will still be alive. This is a reference to the thought experiment of quantum immortality, which is related to the multiple-universes hypothesis, and this mechanic justifies how and why Stefan is able to go back and pick different choices that occasionally lead him to parallel realities.
One of the earlier choices you can make is whether Stefan listens to The Thompson Twins or Now, That's What I Call Music! Volume 2 in his Walkman. The song that plays when you choose The Thompson Twins is Hold Me Now. While a different song plays if you choose the other tape, said Thompson Twins song is also on Now, That's What I Call Music! volume 2, again playing into the notion (and the theme of the movie) that Stefan does not really have free will.
Not long after the release of this interactive film it was discovered that Netflix had been collecting data on the choices made by users who played it. But then again, considering the main theme of the series about technology and its impact on society, it's not as much surprising either.
The film's premise of a game designer whose goal to meet a games deadline takes a toll on his mental stability becomes much more serious considering the film came out shortly after the closure of Telltale Games, with reports of a perpetual state of crunch culture and struggles with the Management.
In forums talking about it, many people said that they never chose Sugar Puffs as Stefan's breakfast, resulting in the sarcastic meme that this choice (if ever made) would lead to a Golden Ending.
Similarly, calling Crash Bandicoot Croosh Bandersnatch Explanation Based on thesetweets by Travis Mcelroy.
"Can Netflix create an interactive episode of [X] where [Y]?" Explanation Based on a post where [X] is a show and [Y] is a Take That, Scrappy!.
"I haven’t programmed that path yet."
Minimalist Run: Though advertised as 90 minutes, if you don't make a choice that branches into extra story elements you'll get a simple 40-minute show.
Some people feel that the Wham Line in some timelines with Mike would have been more effective if he was referred to as "Fionn" instead.
One potential path leads to you revealing to Stefan that he's a character in a Netflix movie. Since you're not meant to do that, this path cuts the story short, but a more in-depth exploration of the concept could have made an interesting plotline.
, which is related to the multiple-universes hypothesis, and this mechanic justifies how and why Stefan is able to go back and pick different choices that occasionally lead him to parallel realities.