Talks of Netflix expanding into the gaming industry.

The streaming service hopes that soon video games will be competing for a spot on such a list.

Netflix is gradually building up plans to provide additional gaming experiences to members, saying that games are a crucial component of its strategy to remain relevant with consumers in the years to come.

“Games are one of the most popular types of entertainment in existence today, so it really is simply a logical extension for Netflix to offer them as part of the membership”, says Leanne Loombe, vice president of external games at Netflix.

"Everyone should be able to play a game on the service, which is our aim. Instead of creating just one huge experience, concentrate on creating a variety of games that players may choose from”.

Since November 2021, games have been playable in the Netflix app, although many users were unaware of this change. According to Loombe, the streaming service has purposefully refrained from "shouting from the rooftops" in favour of taking their time to fully comprehend the industry.

Mobile games are currently being given, some of which are connected to well-known Netflix series (like Stranger Things).

At the moment, they can only be played on mobile devices, however, testing to explore how they may function on TVs and desktops is in progress.

According to Shay Thompson, a games writer, the industry is "littered with the failed attempts" by legacy media organisations to enter the gaming space, so taking a low-key approach is a smart decision.

"Amazon Games is an example of this; they've produced games with enormous budgets like Lost Ark and Crucible, but those games lacked the originality and innovation that we've grown to demand from the gaming industry. That's a big factor in why the titles didn't end up having much of an impact”.

Although Amazon's games branch may not have achieved the same level of success as its Prime Video operation, we still anticipate seeing more games from them in the future. The business is presently developing the upcoming Lara Croft-starring Tomb Raider instalment.

According to Loombe, Netflix will likely use its intellectual property much more in the future. “We're attempting to connect various media from our universes”, she says, “including programmes, films, and video games”.

(Sources: bbc.co.uk)