Turns out “Netflix Gaming” is not a streaming service.

A month after its vague announcement of a new gaming-centric strategy, Netflix explained how it will “release” video games for the foreseeable future: as downloadable smartphone apps, available exclusively to paid video streaming subscribers. .

The news coincides with the company’s public launch of Netflix Gaming on Thursday as part of the service’s smartphone app … but only in Poland and only on Android. The company’s US Twitter translated Thursday’s Polish announcement, which explains how the service works. He also announced the launch of both games as part of the service today: Stranger things 3, a 16-bit beat-’em-up that was previously available as a standalone Google Play purchase (and is still live on PC and consoles); and Stranger Things: 1984, a brand new smartphone-exclusive game that appears to revolve around slow motion puzzle solving in pixelated TV series environments. (Coincidentally, both games were created by the same independent game studio, BonusXP, based in Texas, not Poland.)

To access this content, you will need to sign in to the Netflix Android app while using a Polish IP address, then open the region’s new “N Gaming” tab. From there, choose one of these games and the app will direct you to their Google Play download lists. Once downloaded, go back in the Netflix app and start the game of your choice from there.

No ads, no MTX, but no iOS either?

This process is a bit dizzying and certainly not common among gaming or smartphone application platforms. It’s unusual for an app to verify the credentials of another app before allowing you to play a game (although we’ve seen this setup in collections like icon packs before). And it’s unclear how well such a credential transfer system might work on iOS, on which Netflix would no doubt want to run such a service eventually, assuming the move doesn’t lead to a break-up. endless head of Apple approvals, anyway. Arguably, Netflix could just make these games available as standalone downloads with Netflix credential checks, but then it would lose a valuable metric opportunity: more people downloading and using the dedicated Netflix smartphone app on a regular basis.

The good news about this method of access is that Netflix can promise two key things in its controlled gaming umbrella: no in-game purchases (aka microtransactions, or MTX) and no ads. If a game is branded “N Gaming”, it is clear on these fronts.

(If you’re wondering, Poland has recently become a more popular test region for game and app launches, with Sony’s PlayStation Plus Video Pass remaining a Poland-only promotion for the time being.)

The Netflix Gaming launch on Thursday clarifies that, for now, Netflix is ​​not not have plans to become “the Netflix of video games”, at least in terms of imitating its popular video streaming app for delivering video games. If you want streaming games, served at will for a flat-rate subscription, Xbox Game Streaming and Amazon Luna are still your best options, as long as you live in a compatible region.

The movement seems less interested in the method of delivery and more in the pumping of easily accessible games that draw on Netflix’s huge license library. Considering the sheer size of the smartphone gaming market and the room for a recognizable service that promises ad-free, MTX-free fun with familiar characters and series, this is arguably a better call. business than to compete directly with Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft.

Could Netflix have other platforms or delivery methods in view? It’s unclear. Today’s announcement reminds users that the business is “explore[ing] what gaming looks like on Netflix, “a statement that gives the company the legal leeway to say it strength one day announce a backpack mounted VR chess version of The Queen’s Gambit or a real-life escape room experience inspired by one of his serial killer docuseries.

But Netflix’s choice to announce a specific game production path today, without hinting at popular options like PCs, consoles, or cloud streaming platforms, is quite telling. Additionally, this aligns with Netflix’s notable hiring of Mike Verdu as the head of the company’s gaming team; its modern history has mostly revolved around mobile tariffs on behalf of EA and Zynga.

List image by Netflix