Netflix’s First Dip Into Gaming to be Focused on Mobile Games

Netflix recently revealed that its initial venture into gaming will primarily be centered on mobile games, which will come with the current subscriptions of its users. The announcement came after the platform said it hired Mike Verdu, a former executive of EA and Oculus, to spearhead the project.

“We’re also in the early stages of further expanding into games, building on our earlier efforts around interactivity and our Stranger Things games,” explained the streaming giant to its investors.

“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,” it added.

Details around the types of games and how they will be delivered to subscribers are still up in the air. In the past, the company had already acknowledged that games were its biggest competitor for time and attention.

“We compete with (and lose to) Fortnite more than HBO,” expressed Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings in 2019. COO Greg Peters also divulged their plans to dabble in gaming when the company’s first-quarter earnings were published in April.

Netflix had already experimented with game-like experiences with features like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Carmen Sandiego. The recent hiring of Verdu, however, shows how keen the company’s interest is on integrating games into the platform.

Source: The Verge