On the occasion of the Tribeca film festival in the United States, the head of games at Netflix, Leanne Loombe, detailed on Monday June 13 the company’s strategy in this sector. In particular, the platform wants to capitalize on its most popular films and series to adapt them into video games. The objective is to diversify the service’s catalog to retain its subscribers and reach a new audience.
Netflix wants to take the temperature with its subscribers
Arriving in November 2021, Netflix’s video game offer is still very poor. At the moment, it is possible to play 23 games, only through the mobile application. They are all available at no additional cost with the Netflix subscription. Some games like Moonlighter, Hextech Mayhem or the different adaptations of Stranger Things are also available on PC or console, where they are purchasable individually.
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Netflix recently announced an in-game adaptation of the series The Ladies Game which will arrive at the end of the year. Leanne Loombe added that the playoffs Shadow and Bone and Too Hot to Handle will also have their own video game iterations. Despite these announcements, the company’s overall video game strategy remains rather vague.
” We are still keeping some things secret because we are learning and experimenting. We want to wait and see how things will resonate with our subscribers and what games they want to play. “explains Leanne Loombe. She adds that Netflix wants to be “ sure there’s a Netflix game for every one of our members, whether it’s someone who plays every day or someone totally new to the medium of video games “.
The head of video games at Netflix specifies that for the moment the company is limited to mobile games, because it is the most widely accessible platform. According to her, this is the best way to take the temperature with subscribers to better understand their expectations and their desires around video games.
The video game sector already offers more interesting offers
Leanne Loombe believes that games are a real added value for Netflix subscribers. At the moment, these games do not contain monetization systems, such as microtransactions. According to Leanne Loombe this should allow developers to focus on the quality of the games.
Netflix wants to intensify its strategy in this sector by doubling the number of games available by the end of the year. However, with the company recently experiencing its biggest loss of subscribers and laying off employees to save money, the economic viability of video games for Netflix is in question.
Many of the games currently available are playable on other media, which are more popular with players. The game Moonlighter for example has been available on PC since 2018 and on Nintendo Switch, a console that has sold more than 100 million units. This restricts Netflix’s audience for this type of game.
Broadly speaking, the Netflix model is reminiscent of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass offer, minus the richness of the catalog. Netflix is looking to diversify to make up for lost subscribers. However, the platform is still far from being able to dominate in this industry. Games on Netflix are only playable after downloading. A surprising proposal from the video streaming leader who wants to venture into a very competitive sector where cloud-gaming is developing.