The recent reports that Netflix is looking to move into the medium of video games has been confirmed to be most certainly true, with the streaming service said to be focusing on mobile games, adding a new tier to subscription options in order to allow access.
“We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV. Games will be included in members’ Netflix subscription at no additional cost similar to films and series,” Netflix reported in a recent letter to investors.
Reporting that it was in the “early stages” of expanding into games, the company elaborated, noting that, “Initially, we’ll be primarily focused on games for mobile devices”. Continuing, the company added, “We’re excited as ever about our movies and TV series offering and we expect a long runway of increasing investment and growth across all of our existing content categories, but since we are nearly a decade into our push into original programming, we think the time is right to learn more about how our members value games”.
According to the report, Mike Verdu, the former EA and Facebook executive will take charge as Netflix vice president and head up the game development department, having been previously responsible for bringing games to the virtual reality Oculus platform.
Netflix’s timeframe is ambitious too, as, according to the report, the streaming service will look to offer video games within the next year or so, as it builds its team of developers and game library in the coming months. With this major new development, Netflix will look to capitalise upon their opponents and seek a large boost in new subscribers, particularly with numbers dwindling in recent months.
The new announcement will give the platform a chance to expand upon its wide array of original content, though it is currently unclear just how they will look to monetize their games in order to properly engage their subscribers. With fan favourite series such as Stranger Things approaching their end, adding in the potential for a video game spin-off may greatly improve the capital of the show, giving it significant longevity into the future.
