Streaming giant Netflix has confirmed in a shareholders letter that it’s not only expanding into games but also won’t charge users extra to play them.
Netflix said it plans to build on the company’s earlier efforts around “interactivity.” Think things like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch or the Stranger Things line of games. In doing so, the offering of titles Netflix adds to its service will come at “no additional cost [to users] similar to films and series.” However, the company said these games will only be available on mobile devices for now.
“We’re also in the early stages of further expanding into games, building on our earlier efforts around interactivity (eg. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch) and our Stranger Things games,” Netflix said. “We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation, and unscripted TV. Games will be included in members’ Netflix subscription at no additional cost similar to films and series. Initially, we’ll be primarily focused on games for mobile devices.”
Later, Netflix reiterated its excitement for the movies and TV shows its currently and planning to offer. However, the company is now looking to diversify its portfolio after 10 years on the market.
“We’re excited as ever about our movies and TV series offering and we expect a long runway of increasing investment and growth across all of our existing content categories, but since we are nearly a decade into our push into original programming, we think the time is right to learn more about how our members value games,” the company concluded.
News of Netflix’s interest in video games sparked after reports circulated this past May. The company hired former Electronic Arts and Zynga executive Mike Verdu not long after, fueling speculation of how Netflix would adapt itself to expand into the games industry. Reports also suggested that the company wouldn’t charge subscribers extra to play games through its service.
The company is no stranger to video games and not simply because of Bandersnatch of the Stranger Things games. Netflix has created series around a plethora of game IPs and recently held the first-ever WitcherCon, which announced in-development shows based off the franchise.
Though Netflix is known as a streaming service with obvious competitors in platforms like Disney+ and the like, the company actually finds social media sites like TikTok and live-service titles such as Fortnite to be the real competition. Despite this, Netflix reported that 209 million people subscribe to the service now. The company also revealed its most-watched programs during the Q2 2021 period.
