Forget chill – Netflix wants you to play

Yesterday, Netflix announced plans to nearly double the number of games available on its app by the end of this year. This includes new additions like the Monument Valley franchise, and an Ubisoft sequel to The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot.

🎮📱 Background: Netflix launched its games service as a free add-on for all subscribers in November 2021. The company has released 55 titles since then, with an additional 40 planned for this year – and 86 others currently in development. Many are based on hit Netflix shows, like Stranger Things, Too Hot to Handle, and Narcos, while others are original works.

Right now, all Netflix games are mobile-only and have to be downloaded via the App Store or Google Play Store – though unlike most other mobile games, there aren’t any ads or in-app purchases.

• The streaming giant is also working on a cloud gaming service that would eventually allow Netflix games to be played on TVs and PCs.

📸 Big picture: If Netflix is putting on The Hunger (for) Games, its subscribers would be like the residents of District 12 – having none of it. 99% of all Netflix subscribers have never tried any of their games, per an August 2022 analysis by Apptopia. (Though to be fair – with more than 230 million subscribers worldwide, 1% still amounts to ~2.3 million gamers.)