Global streaming service Netflix recently announced it will be enlarging its gaming catalog with over 80 titles under production. Most of the new products will be rekated to popular Netflix shows and be categorized as “Netflix Stories.”
The company already has a few interactive narrative games based on its IP, such as ‘Perfect Match’, ‘Virgin River’, and ‘Too Hot to Handle 3.’
Recently, the company hired Alain Tascan as its new President of Games. Tascan previously served as EVP of Game Development at Epic Games, where he worked on the game versions of IP like Fortnite, Lego Fortnite, Rocket League, and Fall Guys. He is taking over the role from Mike Verdu, who has moved to an undisclosed role within Netflix Games centered around transformative innovation in game creation and development.
Gregory K. Peters, co-CEO and president at Netflix, declared: “We confirm our commitment to gaming. Games are a big market for us. We’re getting close to three years into our gaming initiative, and we’re happy with the progress that we’ve seen. We have set ourselves aggressive engagement growth targets. We’ve met those, exceeded those in many cases. In 2023, we tripled that engagement. We’re looking good in our engagement growth in 2024, and we’ve set even more aggressive growth goals for 2025 and 2026.”
This leader claimed that the USD 150 billion yearly revenue generated by the global gaming sector, excluding China and Russia, also does not include advertising money. The absence of micro-transactions (a business model where users can purchase in-game virtual goods with micropayments) and advertisements is a significant feature that sets Netflix’s video game releases apart. Nevertheless, Peters hinted at the potential for ad-supported games in the future, stating that the current Netflix business model does not include ad-supported game revenue.
Moreover, he expressed: “We’ve launched over 100 games so far. We’ve seen what works and what doesn’t work. We’re refining our program to do more of what is working with the 80-plus games that we currently have in development. One of those things that really is working is connecting our members with games based on specific Netflix IP that they love.”
Peters also said interactive narrative games are easier to build and that the company is working on games based on shows like ‘Emily in Paris’ and ‘Selling Sunset’, among others.
Since introducing games in 2021, Netflix has offered subscribers free access to a growing library of both original and third-party titles. There are two ways to access Netflix games on a mobile device: through the Mobile Games category within the Netflix app or by searching for the games directly in the App Store or Play Store.