Netflix Expands Gaming Footprint with Ambitious Plans and High-Profile Titles
Streaming giant Netflix is making significant strides in the gaming industry, building on its initial interactive experiences like “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” to create a robust gaming division. The company’s 2021 hiring of a former EA executive marked a turning point in its gaming strategy, leading to the introduction of free mobile games for subscribers.
Netflix has since ramped up its gaming efforts, launching player gamertags and actively recruiting industry veterans, including Joseph Staten from the “Halo” franchise. The company is also developing a “AAA PC game” and has partnered with Ubisoft to bring popular titles like “Assassin’s Creed” to its platform.
Recent game releases include big names such as “Monument Valley” and a “Tomb Raider” roguelike. In August 2023, Netflix began testing cloud-streamed games for TVs and web browsers, signaling its intention to expand beyond mobile gaming.
The streaming service has an impressive lineup of current and upcoming titles. “Squid Game: Unleashed” has already launched, with “Monument Valley 3” and “Oxenfree II” on the horizon. In a major coup, Netflix has added the “GTA Trilogy” to its roster, alongside upcoming releases like a “Queen’s Gambit” chess game and “Football Manager.”
Netflix’s gaming strategy has seen both successes and setbacks. While the company closed its AAA game studio before releasing a game, it has also acquired several studios and formed partnerships for game development. The hiring of new gaming executives, including a former Epic Games leader, underscores Netflix’s commitment to the sector.
The company is actively exploring new interactive formats and developing a cloud gaming service to compete with established players like PlayStation and Xbox. On the mobile front, Netflix now offers 70 games to subscribers, including popular titles like “TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge” and “Kentucky Route Zero.”
Looking ahead, Netflix aims to have 86 games available by year’s end, with nearly 90 more in development. The company is working to make its games playable across all Netflix-supported devices, though it faces the challenge of increasing subscriber engagement with its gaming offerings.
As Netflix continues to experiment and adapt in the gaming market, its moves could potentially position it to reclaim the ‘Netflix for games’ title from competitors like Xbox Game Pass. The streaming service’s strategic focus on cloud and mobile gaming suggests it’s poised to become a significant player in the evolving gaming landscape.
