Will Netflix Succeed in the Gaming Industry?
Having doubled its traffic during the pandemic period, Netflix continues to spend its earnings on expanding its business area. Netflix, which has recently produced its own movies and TV shows all over the world by allocating large budgets to domestic productions, announced that it entered the gaming world.
The platform is now preparing to add new fun to the lives of its members with its new game library called Netflix Games, with a wide variety of game content from physical games to mind games and even a game of the series called Squid Games. In fact, Netflix gave the signals of this with the interactive content Bandersnatch, which is released in 2018. Bandersnatch especially attracted the attention of the new generation, as it has a narrative called ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ and the ending is determined by the preferences of the audience.
Netflix currently has five games in its archive: Stranger Things: 1984 (BonusXP), Stranger Things 3: The Game (BonusXP), Shooting Hoops (Frosty Pop), Card Blast (Amuzo & Rogue Games), and Teeter Up (Frosty Pop).
Netflix used the following expressions for this new adventure in a statement on its official website: “We are very excited to include you in our journey of creating an amazing gaming experience that we are just at the beginning of. We look forward to continuing to improve our mobile gaming experience and expand the entertainment we offer in the months ahead.”
So what do you need to play games on Netflix?
A Netflix subscription is all you need to play the games. There are no ads, extra fees or in-app purchases. Mobile games, on the other hand, are currently available to users on Android devices. In terms of language, Netflix again comes with a lot of options and offers games in many languages. The default language of the games will automatically follow the preference you specify in your Netflix profile.
If the preferred language is not yet available, the default language of the games will be English. Members will be able to play games from multiple mobile devices with the same account. Netflix does not neglect the safety of children when it comes to gaming. The games offered will not be found in child profiles. If a PIN has been set to prevent children from accessing adult profiles, the same PIN will be required to log into Netflix and play games on a device. It is also possible to play some of the games offline.
Netflix plans to design games that appeal to all levels and all kinds of players, just like its series, movies, and stand-up shows. We’ll see how far this claim turns out to be true. But until we get there, I think many of you have in mind, what is Netflix doing in the gaming world? There are questions like, is the timing right?
Game move from Netflix to the heated competition in the OTT market
We are all aware of the competition between (video-on-demand) streaming platforms Recently Amazon bought MGM, and this caused Amazon to have great power on global media. It was only natural for Netflix to respond.
There were rumors about Netflix entering the gaming industry until 2022 to compete with Apple Arcade. Due to the increasing interest in the game due to the pandemic and the importance of the game in the life of the Z generation, the main consumer group of the near future, it may be the right time to invest in this area.
However, Netflix’s entry into the video game industry means it takes risks beyond its main business. However, this move can engage users and bring new subscribers to the platform by providing interactive entertainment with content that combines fiction and video games.
What Does Netflix Games Have to Offer?
For years, Netflix executives have been asked questions about when they’ll be streaming live sports or news content, or when they’ll add ads to the service. The answer remains the same: “The path to success for Netflix is to focus on what it does best. Netflix is best known for movies and TV shows.”
Netflix thinks the game is a reasonable extension or complement to its current specialties and reveals that it is willing to give it a try. Moreover, we understand from the statements made that they do not think of income methods such as in-game purchases or advertisements at the moment.
The dynamics of the game world are unlike any other industry.
On the other hand, this brave move of Netflix is not a blind effort. Although the platform has no experience in the field of gaming, it is useful to remind that when Netflix agreed to make House of Cards in 2011, they had no experience creating their own content, but they’ve done pretty well over the years. The way they look at the game, I think, is beyond the ‘Why not?’ and the desire to do the best in what the company undertakes.
Of course, the game world is very different from the movie and TV series industry. If you want to make a very good movie or TV series, the best-selling names in the market are known, you pay the price, you agree with them and you set out with a guaranteed project. Like Netflix’s deal with David Fincher, Kevin Spacey, and production company Media Rights for House of Cards.
But making games that appeal to the masses requires a very different skill set than making TV shows and movies. This is why many major entertainment platforms have failed in the gaming industry. Amazon sets the best sample for that.
The e-commerce giant has not yet achieved any concrete success in the gaming industry, which it started with a budget of 500 million dollars. Therefore, it is extremely possible for Netflix to fail in the gaming industry.
On the other hand, considering that the gaming industry has passed Hollywood in terms of revenue a long time ago, Netflix’s trying its luck in this area made platform managers ask “if not now, when?”. We’ll see how Netflix’s move will play out.
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