Netflix will offer mobile games as part of the subscription

There doesn’t appear to be much of those PlayStation assets discovered in the source code of the Netflix app: the streaming giant has announced plans to offer smartphone games as part of its existing subscription. This content will be provided at no additional cost as the company attempts to retain its members. After losing more than 400,000 subscribers in the United States and Canada in the previous quarter, some analysts believe service may have peaked.

Netflix, however, believes it can deliver “more entertainment value through games,” and it appears that it is hoping to leverage its existing intellectual property to maintain member engagement. “We know that fans of our stories want to go further and engage more,” Greg Peters, chief product officer, told CNBC. “The great thing about interactive is that you can provide universes that provide a significant amount of time for people to engage and explore.”

This word “engagement” is essential, as Netflix seeks to monopolize the time of its members and collect even more data on their habits. While he doesn’t expect the games to attract subscribers in the short term, he believes the offer will bolster his established entertainment roster.

Sony, coincidentally, is preparing a big hit in mobile, as it tries to broaden the appeal of its own franchises. We assume that if there is a potential connection to PlayStation here, it could partner with Netflix to offer its smartphone games as part of the subscription. However, we are more likely to believe that the aforementioned assets were mistakenly left in the Netflix app.