Tinder's Swipe Night, the popular dating app's first foray into original content, has premiered to users in the United States.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, users were able to access the first episode of the apocalyptic adventure via the Tinder app from 6 p.m. to midnight. The next episode is scheduled to go live next Sunday, Oct. 13.
The Apocalypse Begins
The first episode of Swipe Night begins with a news report of a comet heading toward Earth and the Tinder user will decide how they want their character to spend the few remaining moments alive. Throughout the apocalyptic series, there will be opportunities wherein the user can make choices that will impact the narrative.
These choices range from something as light and easy as complimenting or insulting a friend to very serious scenarios such as helping an injured stranger lying on the sidewalk.
Users only have up to seven seconds to make decisions that will be recorded and then reflected on their dating profiles at the end of the episode.
According to Tinder, participating in the apocalyptic adventure can serve as conversation starters among members.
"Sometimes it's hard on Tinder to know exactly how to break the ice," explained Jenny Campbell, the chief marketing officer at Tinder, in an interview with Adweek. "Because you've now gone through this shared experience, you have so much more to talk about."
Users can choose up to three decisions they have made during the episode to display on their dating profiles. Be warned, however, that potential romantic partners will be able to see these decisions.
For example, if the user opts to cover for a friend (Graham) who they witnessed cheating on his girlfriend, can affect their matches.
me seeing a hot person on tinder then seeing they swiped to cover for graham in #swipenight pic.twitter.com/FLZASBosm8— C O R Y (@lacsquirt) October 7, 2019
Thanks to Swipe Night on Tinder, I'm no longer picking men based on looks. Now the only criteria for a right swipe is if they didn't cover for Graham. — james (@genericfanacct) October 7, 2019
love this tinder swipe night thing bc now i dont waste my time talking to boys who covered for graham— mary (@maryy_bishop) October 7, 2019
Story For Gen Z
Although everyone who has a Tinder profile and resides in the United States are free to participate, Swipe Night was particularly aimed at the app's youngest users.
"Gen Z is spending a ton of time on entertainment — on YouTube, on Instagram, on Snapchat," said Ravi Mehta, chief product officer, to Fast Company. "They're spending a lot time talking to each other about that entertainment. That was really the genesis of Swipe Night."
Swipe Night was directed by Karena Evans (Drake's God's Plan) and written by Nicole Delaney (Netflix's Big Mouth) and Brandon Zuck.
