We know now that Netflix is currently attempting to grow its gaming offering as it enters the industry. For this reason, the streaming giant is going to take a “more strategic approach” from now on as it has announced new development partnerships according to recent words that they have told Gamesindustry.biz regarding this new approach toward the future. Currently, the company has over 80 different games in the works, with 40 games due to be released in 2023.
According to a briefing that was sent to select press, Netflix has several themed games that will be introduced in the pipeline, including:
- An exclusive game from Vainglory developer Super Evil Megacorp based on an unannounced upcoming Netflix IP
- Ustwo Games’ Monument Valley and its sequel, which are due to be added to Netflix’s games collection next year.
- A new Too Hot To Handle game from Nanobit, building on the success of its previous title based on the titular dating show, with a sequel to be released later this year.
- Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace, a Netflix-exclusive spin-off from Ubisoft’s Mighty Quest For Epic Loot and the second of three Ubisoft games in the works for Netflix. This game has an April 18 launch date.
Additionally, the company also stated that of the 86 games that are currently in the works, 16 are currently being handled by in-house studios. At the same time, another 70 are being developed by third-party partners. Unfortunately, this ambitious effort hasn’t been met with much recognition as only 1% of Netflix’s subscribers had downloaded any of its titles in the first nine months of its games offering. Still, the company seeks to move forward with a more strategic approach.
Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz, the Vice President for External Games stated that Netflix is proud of its progress thus far when it comes to the gaming content that it’ll offer, stating the following:
We’re still in the early days of our games journey, and the number of members who know about and play our games continues to grow. At the beginning of our journey in November 2021, our focus was speed to market and creating opportunities for valuable learning. With those learnings we are now able to be more strategic around how we build out a portfolio of games that appeals to our millions of members.
According to the executive, Netflix will continue to test new discovery mechanisms both on and off the Netflix platform to resolve its exposure issue. Additionally, the games portfolio’s visibility will be improved for subscribers. Games have been given a dedicated tab in the Android app and a dedicated row in the iOS app to support this effort. However, they also plan to involve its currently-in-development cloud gaming technology as part of their approach.
The executive also stated that the current bet at Netflix lies in creating an ecosystem around streaming content and games, which will essentially allow its games to grow. The VP is confident that Netflix can become a major player in the games industry. Whether this effort will be successful or not is up in the air, so make sure to stay tuned to keep track of updates on this venture.
