Apparently, series, movies, and specials on Netflix are no longer enough: The streaming provider is reportedly planning to enter the gaming market in the coming year 2022.
This is the situation at Netflix: According to a report from the portal “Bloomberg”, the streaming provider Netflix wants to expand its offerings and enter the gaming market. For this, it has already sought support.
Mike Verdu is set to serve as Vice President in the “Gaming Development” area at Netflix. Previously, he held leadership roles at companies like EA and Facebook and worked on Oculus VR among others.
This appointment is said to be the next step towards a gaming sector at Netflix: Within the next year, Netflix is expected to offer games on the streaming platform.
Gaming would create a new sector for Netflix. However, it is said that this will initially have no impact on the subscription prices, according to sources who wish to remain anonymous.
According to Bloomberg, Netflix’s stock has already risen by 3.3% after the new plan was announced.
XBox Game Pass is considered “Netflix for Games” – Will Netflix do it themselves soon?
Are there already role models in this area? The overlap between streaming and games is not new. Services like Stadia, PlayStation Now, or Game Pass rely on subscription models that provide players with a range of games, which they do not actually own.
The games can be played, but not really “purchased”. This essentially corresponds to the Netflix movie-series model.
The Xbox Game Pass, with its “gaming flat rate”, is already considered the “Netflix for gamers” – so it’s natural that Netflix could offer such a service itself. They already have the infrastructure to send large amounts of data over the internet to people – whether they stream video games or movies doesn’t make much difference.
Streaming competitor Amazon has also tried its hand at gaming. For example, there are bonuses for players using Prime Gaming. However, the launch of Amazon’s own games was rocky: The shooter “Crucible” completely disappeared from the scene, as did the game Breakaway. Also, the LOTR MMO was lost.
Currently, there is work on the MMO New World. Although it also had a poor start and had to be reigned in, it is now on its way to release.
So there are indeed role models. However, how Netflix’s model will ultimately look remains to be seen.
Netflix and Gaming – does it fit?
Essentially, entertainment programs like movies or series compete with games: after all, these are all media used to fill leisure time.
In the past, Netflix has also found overlaps with the gaming market. For example, there was a small official pixel-art game for the series Stranger Things – and the series had collaborations with games like Fortnite, Dead by Daylight, and Rocket League.
Moreover, there was a special episode of the series “Black Mirror” called Bandersnatch, which was interactive and could have different endings depending on how the viewer directed the episode’s storyline.
What do you think about this topic? Is a gaming branch at Netflix something for you? Let us know in the comments!
