Netflix is getting into Games
Netflix is serious about making games...for all platforms, let's look at the break down.
Netflix is getting into games and it’s not just mobile games. Here’s the slippery slope they started down. Netflix is a popular streaming app that recently raised it prices, placed ads into movies and TV shows, as well cracking down on password sharing.
Stranger Things: 1984 is the first game debuted on Netflix in 2021. It is a little pixelated game. Nothing to think about because the show had a lot of merch; pizza, parkas, mugs, games, etc. Netflix did announce they’re taking gaming seriously. And just like cracking down on passwords, we didn’t pay them any attention.
Look at the game category that they’ve been building. It went from cute mobile games, like SpongeBob: Get Cooking, then Spiritfarer, now Grand Theft Auto (GTA)?
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My friend and I have been talking about how to access the games on Netflix for years. The games were being rolled out slowly. She has an iPhone therefore, receiving the feature before me with an Android. Plus, it was a Samsung Galaxy 6 so I was behind. On my Google Pixel 6, I received the ability to get Netflix Games section.
In 2023, Nitro Games, a Finnish game developer and Netflix signed a developer and publishing agreement. Nitro Games is also featured in my docuseries…coming out this year! The agreement means they’ll be making games for Netflix. Up until now, Netflix has been an emulator for games that are available on different platforms. And now Netflix will be making games, not only for mobile games, also for other platforms. How many other platforms can there be? Let’s count em: Console - that’s at least three. PC - including iOS & Windows, that’s two more. Plus the two platforms their games are available on Android & Apple. Maybe they’ll even create games for web browsers. Total, eight. To achieve this, Netflix has packed their team with former Halo lead Joseph Staten and partnering with another powerhouse in the gaming industry, Ubisoft. Ubisoft has been through a lot, but let’s see what the new year brings.
The sad part about accessing the games is, it’s only for Standard and Premium which are the tiers without ads. Netflix definitely had the idea to force themselves into the industry. They were fattening us up then led us to spending more money. It feels like, Netflix threw out a bunch of games to gather data to see what we’d like. I’m sure depending on the top played games is going to reflect in their 10 games they’re making in house. I wrote a newsletter about lettings companies that are looking for profits more than the enjoyment or changing the industry for better. This is at the forefront of my mind when watching Netflix’s development.