Netflix will reportedly turn more of its hit shows into games
Titles based on Squid Game and Wednesday are said to be on the way.
Netflix is making moves to expand its mobile gaming offerings. Soon, subscribers will see more shows made by Netflix made into mobile games, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, like Squid Game and Wednesday.
While mobile gaming is not entirely new to Netflix, it's still trying to find its place in the company’s business model. Right now, the Netflix app prompts users to download and play games like Exploding Kittens: The Game or Ghost Detective on the app store where you can play on the platform. But eventually, Netflix subscribers will be able to play games directly on their smart TVs and computers. This push into gaming by the streaming giant is preceded by the company’s recent release of a dedicated controller app for iOS devices that lets a player use their phone as a gamepad with a paired TV.
From the start, Netflix has never charged for its games or posed additional fees within its gaming domain. To play on your phone, you only need a subscription. And while we don't know if that is going to ever change in the near future, Netflix's focus on making games based on hit shows could help maintain interest in them, especially in between seasons. The bet on superconsumers’ could also lead the company to a path of buying its way into gaming.
As of now, Netflix offers more than 70 games on its platform and it plans to expand that more into the end of 2023. Netflix will continue to license non-show related games like Classic Solitaire, according to the WSJ.
It has been less than two years since the company began dabbling in mobile gaming and yet, Netflix has already become a player in indie publishing. And we’ve seen the company deliver on its promise of developing games based on hit shows. Netflix Stories: Love is Blind, an interactive story title based on the reality television series just came out last month. Now it appears ready to lean even harder into gaming.
