It has been more than two years since Netflix launched a new direction for itself — gaming. For the company, known for its offerings in movies and series, entering the new competitive environment promised to be difficult. However, Netflix reported that in 2023, the number of downloads of Netflix Games increased by 180% compared to the year before. Is this a success? Perhaps, but there are nuances.
Netflix Games began its first steps by filling its catalog with mobile games dedicated to Netflix products (for example, the Stranger Things mobile game). These were fairly mediocre products that could appeal to the most devoted fans of the franchises. Such steps did not give a significant boost, but the company did not stop. Subsequently, Netflix began to invest in game studios and acquired Night School Studio (developers of Oxenfree), Next Games (mobile games based on The Walking Dead), and Spry Fox (Triple Town, Road Not Taken, etc). The idea of acquiring these studios was to create new games dedicated to Netflix products, and thus, the platform could offer its users several unique projects.
At the same time, Netflix is buying studios and simply cooperating with some of them. For example, the New Zealand studio Runaway Play has developed a game exclusively for the new platform, Flutter Butterflies. All these steps were not wrong and attracted different categories of gamers: some wanted to play a game based on their favorite series, and some found an alternative to the 1 dollar casino in these games.
But the real success was the addition to the library of notable hits, in particular, Grand Theft Auto: Trilogy. Three games from this collection gave a real boost, and GTA: San Andreas is currently the most downloaded game on Netflix Games. GTA Vice City takes a place in the top 10 (sixth position) and slightly falls short of the top 10 GTA III (11th place).
In general, the appearance of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy gave it such a boost — only these three games together account for 17% of the total number of downloads. Also, talking about the success of Netflix Games is transferable, considering how important a factor the appearance of individual titles was. That is, the stability of such results has not yet been supported by anything and depends on whether Netflix will be able to please in the future with the appearance of high-profile projects on its platform.
Apptopia’s research shows that Netflix Games has not yet gained scale, according to which less than 1% of Netflix users play games on the new platform every day. Also, despite great efforts to scale the new direction, it is not yet a competitor to Sony or Microsoft’s Game Pass.
If we talk about the reaction of Netflix users to the new product, it is generally positive. Yes, the service has not yet attracted many new users thanks to games (after all, there are services for gamers that offer much more entertainment). But active users took the news positively. Many Netflix subscribers are part-time gamers, so they have an additional reason to continue subscribing.
What games can you enjoy through the Netflix Games platform?
Firstly, these are games in the action genre, such as:
- GTA Trilogy — the legendary series of games with a free world and unlimited possibilities;
- Death’s Door — play as a crow who has the difficult task of being a soul reaper;
- Rival Pirates — compete in pirate battles on your ship and defeat other pirates.
This genre ranks first in the preferences of platform users.
Many interesting titles can be found in the simulation genre, including:
- Too Hot to Handle — build relationships with virtual avatars in the format of a popular TV show;
- Vineyard Valley — develop your winery, which was left to you in a neglected state.
If you want to expand your experience of the universe of Netflix projects, many games are based on series on the platform. For example:
- Money Heist: Ultimate Choice — help the Professor realize his cunning plans in a game based on the popular TV series;
- Stranger Things: Puzzle Tails — discover new details of the universe of Stranger Things with exciting puzzles;
- Narcos: Cartel War Unlimited — Build your criminal empire, fight your enemies, and become the king of your kind.
What’s next? There was a download boom after adding Grand Theft Auto series games to the platform, but now the numbers have dropped back to normal values. Much depends on the appearance of high-profile releases on the platform, and Netflix understands this.
Now, there are rumors that Netflix is ready to invest in a studio capable of developing AAA projects for the platform. This step seems logical if the company wants the gaming direction to be a pleasant addition and a full-fledged player in this competitive market.
