Netflix abandons Qwikster, games on hold
Rental service no longer splitting DVD and streaming due to customer outcry
Netflix has abandoned its plan to separate its streaming and DVD services, the company announced today.
In a post on the company blog, founder and CEO Reed Hastings cited the overwhelming public disapproval that greeted the announcement of Qwikster, the company's nascent, DVD-only service.
"It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs," Hastings wrote.
"This means no change: one website, one account, one password... in other words, no Qwikster."
Qwikster was first announced in September, a month after a controversial price increase has angered its existing customers. Together, the decisions have severely affected the company's enviable reputation, with its stock losing more than half its value in the last three months.
However, while Netflix will resume its normal operations, its plan to introduce videogames to the service has been put on hold. The addition of games was part of the Qwikster launch strategy, but Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey told the New York Times that the plan is, "yet to be determined."