Netflix launches mobile games for Android users around the world

Netflix is making its first big content push beyond television shows and movies by foraying into the lucrative gaming sector.

On November 2, the video streaming major announced that it will be introducing five mobile games on its platform to paid members across the world including India. These games will be bundled with the user's existing membership at no extra cost.

This launch comes after a brief pilot in select European markets such as Poland in August and Spain and Italy in September.

Among the games being offered include casual games such as Frosty Pop's Shooting Hoops and Teeter Up, puzzle card game Card Blast from Amuzo and Rogue Games, and mobile games based on its shows such as Stranger Things (Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game from BonusXP).

It's worth noting that all these games are Netflix exclusives and are published on the Google Play Store under Netflix's developer account.

"Whether you’re craving a casual game you can start from scratch or an immersive experience that lets you dig deeper into your favorite stories, we want to begin to build a library of games that offers something for everyone. We’re in the early days of creating a great gaming experience, and we’re excited to take you on this journey with us" said Mike Verdu, VP, Game Development at Netflix.

However, unlike traditional casual games, these games will be ad-free with no in-app purchases or any additional fee. At launch, it will be available only on Android devices, wherein members will be able to see a dedicated games row and a games tab on their mobile app. These games however will not appear on kids profiles.

How will it work?

Through the games tab, Netflix users will be able to select any game of their choice, following which they will be redirected to the Google Play listings of these games. Members can install the game and use their Netflix credentials to start playing the game. They will also be able to play these games on multiple mobile devices through the same account.

Verdu noted that while some mobile games may require an internet connection, others will be available to play offline.

"Our mobile games are available in many of the languages we offer on service, so your games will automatically default to the preference set in your Netflix profile. If your language is not yet available, games will default to English" he said.

Verdu noted that they are still in the early days of creating a "great gaming experience" and going forward, they intend to design games for "any level of play and every kind of player", whether the user is a beginner or an avid gamer.

Gaming will be a multi-year effort

Netflix had first confirmed its plans to foray into video games in July this year. "We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV" the company had said in a letter to shareholders.

At the time, Netflix's chief operating officer and product officer Greg Peters had termed its gaming push as a "multi-year effort" and they are going to start "relatively small".

"We feel that our subscription model yields some opportunities to focus on a set of game experiences that are currently underserved by that sort of dominant monetisation model in games. We don’t have to think about ads, we don’t have to think about in-game purchases or other monetisation, we don’t think about per title purchases," Peters said.

In October 2021, Peters said during the company's Q3 earnings conference call that they will be experimenting with various types of games including licensed and partner-produced games, quite similar to television shows and movies. Netflix will also build up internal game development capabilities, he said.

To accelerate this process, the streaming giant acquired its first games studio in September with the purchase of 'Night School Studio', a game developer best known for the supernatural mystery graphic adventure title Oxenfree.

"An internal (game development) capability really allows us to push the edges on what is interactive storytelling, and how do we bridge that more tightly with the linear storytelling that we're doing on the video side," Peters said during the conference call.

"This will be one of the tools that we use and we'll use it opportunistically when we find a great opportunity out there. So don't expect us to go on a tearing buying spree," he said.

Netflix has traditionally been very selective about acquisitions, with only three publicly disclosed deals across more than two decades. Two of these - Night School Studio and Roald Dahl Story Company - were announced in September itself while the first acquisition was Millarworld in 2017.