The leading video streaming service, Netflix has confirmed that it is exploring mobile-focused cloud gaming. In the company’s Q2 2021 earnings report’s investors note, details of the gaming platform were shared. Earlier, it was reported that Netflix has hired former EA and Oculus VP Mike Verdu as vice president of game development and gaming service might launch by 2022.
Like Microsoft and Facebook, Netflix is another billion-dollar company venturing into cloud gaming services because it’s a very lucrative industry with leading games like Fallout, Fortnite, and others.
Netflix will offer games based on its popular shows
As per the shared details, the video streaming company is looking to expand games on its earlier interactivity and games of its popular original show, “Stranger Things”. Games will be included in the service as another category without any additional cost. The company wrote:
We’re also in the early stages of further expanding into games, building on our earlier efforts around interactivity (eg, Black Mirror Bandersnatch) and our Stranger Things games. 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. Initially, we’ll be primarily focused on games for mobile devices. 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.
Earlier, the person familiar with the matter reported that the video games streaming launch by 2022 “alongside current fare as a new programming genre — similar to what Netflix did with documentaries or stand-up specials.” It might be the company’s solution to gain more subscribers. Although the video streaming service is leading the industry, the growth of its new subscription base has slowed down. The company was estimated to hit 210 million subscribers in Q1 2021 but was 2 million short.
