Netflix has been making some rather big moves in the field of gaming, aiming to break into the market with an innovative offering like no other. To this extent, the Netflix Games initiative was launched back in Fall 2024, with a clear focus on the mobile games market.
While Netflix’s move was met with mixed reactions (and ultimately resulted in the removal of the initiative’s founder, Mike Verdu) they are rather keen to reinvigorate an interest in the sector, having brought in Alain Tascan – an industry veteran with years of experience in Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and the like.
Interestingly, they seem to have shifted their focus to the mobile and couch-gaming market instead of hyper-focusing on consoles and generative AI, which is perhaps for the best.
Netflix Games’ Alain Tascan wants to transform Netflix as a gaming platform for the modern audience
Speaking out to The Game Business in an exclusive interview, Netflix Games’ president, Alain Tascan remarked on his vision to pivot Netflix as the premiere hub for all things gaming. Tascan plans on making Netflix a ‘trusted destination’ for families and their kids, promoting fun, safe entertainment for all.
With console you’re thinking about high definition, you’re thinking about the controller. If we look at this older model, I think it will restrain us.
Speaking further on the matter, Netflix plans on introducing games of the party variety, with a clear focus on using the main couch television as a viewing device. This would be accompanied by the user’s mobile phone – which would in turn act as a controller of sorts.
This is all part of Tascan’s efforts to make games a lot more accessible – by eliminating ‘friction’ present within control interfaces, by introducing the most accessible controller yet, that is, the mobile phone.
Phones are after all, rather sophisticated devices with gyroscopes and touch controls built in – which could be fully utilized using a properly developed application. Netflix also has the advantage of catering to an already existing user base of over 700 million customers, many of whom might be into gaming.
However, Netflix aims to target niche gaming sectors and does not look at consoles (such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S) as a viable platform, interestingly enough. According to Tascan, the console is a restrictive medium, and perhaps something that might not be interesting enough for Gen-Z and newer.
This makes total sense, given that gaming has pivoted toward live service titles these days, and coupled with the domination of mobile gaming (in terms of both user base and revenue) makes for a much different market – which Netflix aims to capture.
Another intriguing aspect of the interview was the reliance on social factors, such as shared achievements, friend lists, and the like, all of which are expected to be incorporated into Netflix Games’ new initiative.
Netflix’s success remains up to question
While ambitious, Netflix Games’ lofty ideals might take more than your usual amount of time to be fleshed out. Not taking the usual developmental times (and costs) into account, there is a lot more to uncover here.
For starters, the whole idea sounds a bit strange. Netflix is clearly not focusing on traditional, single-player games (or even blockbuster live service titles, for that matter) – which does make one question the overall quality of the games that will be produced.
Freeware and junkware are likely considered to be running rampant on the platform, and without proper quality control, it remains to be seen how exactly Netflix will solve their conundrum with their gaming sector.
After all, the gaming sector of Netflix has not been without its share of controversies.
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