Netflix took its first proper steps into the world of gaming last year with the creation of Netflix Games — a new service in which you can download and play mobile games on Android and iOS as part of your Netflix membership.
The company says it plans to "continue improving our mobile gaming experience and adding to our entertainment offering in the months ahead," and a report from Bloomberg last year suggested that Netflix was planning to "provide streamed games" at some point, presumably along the same lines as Xbox Cloud Gaming. That hasn't come to fruition as of yet, but there's always the potential for something like this down the line.
In his recent New York Times interview, Xbox boss Phil Spencer praised the way Netflix is going about it, bringing up the announcement from last year that Netflix had bought its first games studio — Night School, the dev behind Oxenfree:
"Without content, community and cloud, I think getting into gaming right now — and you see this in what Netflix is doing. I think it’s smart what they’re doing. They’re buying some studios. They’re learning about the creative process of interactive entertainment. And I think it’s a very smart way for them to move into the space."
Spencer highlighted during the discussion that Microsoft "see[s] more and more of the big tech companies looking at gaming as a place to come in, including Netflix," but the strength of Xbox is that it has 20 years of experience to lean on:
"I think for us, our strength is we just passed 20 years of Xbox being in the market, we have thousands and thousands of game-developer relationships, creators who are already building on our platform. And the other one is the social networks that we have with Xbox Live. We have millions of people who come on to Xbox Live every month. Those friends relationships that are on the network are incredibly important. I think cloud is critical..."
It'll be interesting to see how Netflix develops its presence in the gaming world over the next 12 months and beyond, and whether it ultimately becomes a major player in the industry. For now, the company seems to be keeping things relatively low-key, but it sounds like Phil Spencer is watching their progress with a lot of interest.
What do you make of Netflix's attempts to get into gaming? Let us know down in the comments.
[source nytimes.com]
Comments 8
to me (and I speak for myself alone), Netflix getting into gaming feels odd.
Cheapens the hobby, and I'm having trouble forming up why I feel like that. I'll get my thoughts together and edit the comment when I can explain myself better. =)
I'm interested to see what they do, and how it works out. Google's foray into the market with Stadia has been a bit of a flop, and it's probably a matter of time until they get bored with that and either shut it down, or becomes an also-ran that just chugs along to a small market.
@Dusk_Actual If I may make a suggestion as to why? It could be that it demonstrates that the gaming world is an industry like any other without anything "special" or "creative". Any big company can just buy up the talent, and now they're a games company.
If Netflix thought there was money in bread buns they could just buy a bakery. It's all the same on the corporate level. Just like how Sony publishes games, and also sells cameras and medical equipment.
Gaming? I wouldn't call mobile gaming an incentive if I can already buy those games in my phone anyway, mobile games are designed to be played on the small screen and on the go. I can't see this getting anywhere until they add "real" games
This is a remarkable backhanded compliment to them. Phil's a slicker spinster than I've believed him to be. Notice his compliment is all about highlighting Netflix' infancy as an outsider to the business, and patronizing their baby's first steps in the kiddie pool as a teaching tool while highlighting Xbox's decades of experience and expansive network of relationships.
For now I see Netflix as testing the waters at competing in the mobile market and not making a full sized run at the console market, which is probably smart. I assume they're mostly interested in keeping eyeballs from Apple Arcade for now, and watching to see what Google, Amazon, and Facebook are doing in the streaming front before trying to pick up console sized gaming. Their film agreements with Sony could hint at a partnership in the future more than competition as well.
I don't think they can get many PC/console gamers into this, but the mobile market is frekin huge. If they can get mobile gamers on this, they will see a good return. I think the key here is to make mobile friendly games that don't have the microtransactions as a normal mobile game(because you are paying a subscription already). Use licensing to get games with recognizable titles and people will try them out at the minimum.
@NEStalgia I honestly think it's just that he's asked all the time and instead of ignoring most people like Nintendo and Sony do, he always replies. Netflix is not competition, he doesn't need to say anything bad about it but he naturally has to talk in a positive way about the division he leads. If he praises an "indie" game it's just natural for him to mention that he loves to see this kind of games on Xbox or on Game Pass.
Honestly don't see this as competition for Xbox/PS/Nintendo. It's more directed at the casual and mobile market. Yes there will likely be a few larger games - they bought Oxenfree dev Night School Studio - but I think those will be few and far between. Obviously things can change but it's a LONG road to try and compete at this level.
If anything it may act as a gateway to gaming for some of the millions of people who have a Nexflix sub who then find they want to play more, on something more serious.
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