Netflix’s Gaming Service is out now on the internet. Netflix announced today that it had expanded its gaming service to over 190 countries, including the United States and Canada. However, the gaming feature still requires subscribers to own either an Android smartphone or tablet to play.
A statement released by Netflix hints a potential Squid Game title could be on the way, with a ‘winking’ emoji next to a mention of the hugely successful series.
Netflix Games will start rolling out to the Netflix mobile app starting November 3. Users can also download Netflix games from the Google Play store starting today. Among the games included in the service is Stranger Things 3: The Game. Unfortunately, you will not use a wireless controller or a mobile controller like the Razer Kishi. The games on the Netflix Games app use touch controls only when playing with the Netflix official app.
Netflix’s Gaming Service: Are you excited about it.
Netflix reported its worst slowdown in subscriber growth in eight years as people emerged from their pandemic cocoons. So it’s adding a new attraction to its marquee: Video games.
On Tuesday, the video streaming giant announced it would offer video games in its existing subscription plans at no extra cost but didn’t say when that service would launch or what kind of games it would be developing.
The confirmation of the long-anticipated expansion came in conjunction with the release of Netflix’s latest earnings report. That financial breakdown showed the video service added 1.5 million subscribers during the April-June period. That’s slightly better than the modest increase that management forecast after the service stumbled to a sluggish start during the winter months but still far below its growth rate in recent years.
Netflix announced today that it had expanded its gaming service to over 190 countries, including the United States and Canada. However, the gaming feature still requires subscribers to own either an Android smartphone or tablet to play. Netflix Games will start rolling out to the Netflix mobile app starting November 3. Users can also download Netflix games from the Google Play store starting today. Among the games included in the service is Stranger Things 3: The Game.
Netflix notes that its games app requires a subscription to its streaming service and that there are no ads, additional fees, or microtransactions. While iOS support is not available yet, Netflix says it will roll out “in the coming months.”
Netflix claims there’ll be no ads and no in-app purchases with these new titles. For now, Apple users will have to wait — there’s no announcement for iPhone or iPad at this stage. A Netflix spokesperson says those using iOS devices will need to look out for information “in the coming months.”
The rollout to more countries supporting Netflix Games is no surprise as the company began testing the feature last August, with subscribers based in Poland having access to the service. In late September, Netflix Games expanded to subscribers living in Italy, Spain, and Poland.
Within the last several months, Netflix has been making a push to enter the gaming market. In July, ahead of its quarterly fiscal earnings, the streaming giant noted it would focus on mobile games first. In that same month, Netflix announced that it had hired veteran game executive Mike Verdu as its VP of game development.
Now Netflix is taking another leap by offering video games that intend to produce itself as part of what it described as a multi-year expansion. The Los Gatos, California, company telegraphed the move last week when it disclosed the hiring of a veteran video game executive, Mike Verdu, to explore potential opportunities in another field of entertainment.
“The reason we’re doing them is to help the subscription service grow and be more important in people’s lives,” Netflix co-CEO.
Within the last several months, Netflix has been making a push to enter the gaming market. In July, ahead of its quarterly fiscal earnings, the streaming giant noted it would focus on mobile games first. In that same month, Netflix announced that it had hired veteran game executive Mike Verdu as its VP of game development.
The Bottom Line
Despite this year’s growth slowdown, Netflix remains by far the world’s most extensive streaming service in an increasingly competitive field that includes Walt Disney Co., HBO, Amazon, and Apple. Netflix finished June with 209 million worldwide subscribers.
Netflix’s heft also has produced steady profits. The company earned $1.35 billion, or $2.97 per share, nearly doubling from the same time last year. Revenue rose by 19% from last year to $7.3 billion.
But the lackluster first-half numbers are a dramatic reversal from last year when government-imposed lockdowns across the world thrust people into binge-watching frenzies while corralled at home. Already the world’s largest video streaming service, when the pandemic began in March 2020, Netflix picked up 26 million subscribers during the first half of last year.
Read Netflix is going to launch all the games free on the video game section.
