Netflix Comes Into Gaming With Ad-Free, No Additional Fee Mobile Video Games

Netflix confirmed on Tuesday that it will expand into video games, starting with ad-free games for mobile devices like phones and tablets that it will offer on its existing service at no additional cost to subscribers. In what represents the biggest expansion in a new kind of entertainment since it started broadcasting in 2007 and released its first original show in 2012, Netflix has sketched broad ambitions for gaming in general, indicating that it is ultimately planning to pursue console gaming as well.

Mobile games will be the primary focus, but executives said Tuesday that all devices Netflix already supported are candidates for its games. This would include PlayStation and Xbox game consoles, as well as desktop computers and smart TVs.

“There is a rich opportunity to continue to provide and advance the technical capability to improve the quality of the gaming experiences we can deliver across the range of devices,” said Greg Peters, COO on Tuesday. and Netflix products, in a discussion of second quarter results.

Netflix did not specify the timeline for its gaming initiative on Tuesday, noting only that it was in “early stages” and was a “multi-year effort.” A report last week said that Netflix plans to expand into games within the next year.

The company said it would experiment with making games based on existing Netflix franchises so that fans could dive deeper into their favorite stories and characters, but that it would try out entirely original standalone games that could generate significant results themselves. spinoff shows or movies. It will explore the creation of games based on existing media outside the Netflix Galaxy – imagine a Netflix game based on a series of books or a comic book.

Netflix was clear on one thing games won’t, at least not initially: a new way to charge you money.

“We’re a one-product company,” said Co-CEO Reed Hastings, and this product is an all-in-one subscription.

Netflix games won’t have ads, they won’t include in-game purchases, and you won’t have to purchase individual titles. Netflix games will be part of your overall subscription, just as award-winning horror movies, reality shows, and drama series are all part of the same Netflix subscription.

Last week, Bloomberg announced that Netflix is ​​planning an expansion of video games on its service at no additional cost over the next year. At the time, Netflix confirmed that it hired Mike Verdu, who previously worked at Oculus, Electronic Arts and Zynga, as vice president of game development, but declined to comment further.

The Switch to Gaming expands Netflix from its core TV show and movie business as the world’s largest subscription video service. He is not alone in the field of gaming expansion. Amazon has invested in Luna, its cloud gaming service, and has its own game studio, while Google has invested in its own game streaming service Stadia.

Netflix had recently hinted that it was interested in stepping up its pursuit of gaming. The company has flirted with games before, thanks to its adventure-style interactive programming like Bandersnatch and some licensing and merchandising partnerships. But in April, Peters reported that Netflix’s interest in games may increase.

“We’re trying to figure out what all these different ways are… we can dig into that fandom, and games are definitely a really interesting part of it,” Peters said at the time. “There is no doubt that games are going to be an important form of entertainment and an important modality in deepening that fan experience.”

As Netflix has grown, it has long been pointed out that its competition extends beyond the traditional TV and movie companies facing it. The company has repeatedly called out gaming freaks like Fortnite, as well as YouTube, the powerhouse for user-generated video, among its toughest competitors, for the vast collection of hours of entertainment they command around the world. whole.

“We believe the time is right to learn more about the value our members place on games,” the company said on Tuesday.

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