Not Just Movies: Popular Streaming Service Focuses on Gaming
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Games are becoming increasingly important on smart TVs. In the battle for a larger market share, Amazon recently announced it wanted to focus more on gaming with its Prime offering, and now another competitor is following suit.
Streaming is extremely popular. When it comes to movies and TV series, services such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, and others have long since replaced traditional television and cable TV. They seem to be extending their tentacles more and more in the direction of gaming, heralding the end of the classic games console. Amazon has been operating its own cloud gaming platform, Luna, since 2022, which also offers popular titles such as EA SPORTS FC 25, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Fortnite.
A new version of Luna is set to be released this year, with which the company aims to appeal to new players in particular. The offer will be expanded to include the GameNight section, which intends to inspire families and friends to play numerous party games together.
Netflix Follows Amazon's Footsteps
Netflix now seems to want to follow suit, although gaming is not a completely new area for the streaming service provider. Back in 2021, it acquired Night School Studios, a developer that initially made a name for itself with smartphone games. In addition to a series of casual games, it also promoted the Stranger Things series. However, the success of these efforts was ultimately limited, so work has been underway since last year to reorganize the division, as Bloomberg reported.
The company appears to have looked to Amazon as its role model. Netflix wants to not only focus more on gaming in its streaming offering in the future, but also place an emphasis on so-called party games. Games such as Boggle Party, Pictionary: Game Night, Tetris Time Warp, and Lego Party will be included in the service. Apparently, Netflix wants to attract whole groups—such as friends and families—to the screen first.
But that's not all! In addition to the party games, the streaming service provider has also set its sights on three other categories. In the future, games for children, mainstream successes such as Grand Theft Auto, and games based on in-house productions—such as Stranger Things—are to follow. Unlike some of its competitors, Netflix games will remain free—for now.
The Smartphone is Your Controller
However, you will have to live with restrictions elsewhere. When it comes to controls, Netflix's cloud gaming offering, which the company has reportedly invested in new servers, cannot keep up with classic consoles. The service provider relies on smartphones as its controller for games. This is connected using the Netflix app and a QR code. This is certainly not the best solution for more demanding titles.
Netflix cloud gaming is currently still in the beta test phase and is therefore only available to a handful of selected users. It has not been announced when the official launch will take place. However, it should not be too long in the future.
