Netflix to kickstart its gaming journey with Mobile Games at no extra cost

After plenty of rumors that Netflix is planning to enter the gaming industry to compete with giants like Disney+, Paramount+, and Apple TV. The streaming giants have now officially confirmed that they are expanding into gaming starting with offering mobile games at no extra cost and will also keep the pace on movies and television to add new subscribers.

In a letter to investors (thanks TheVerge), Netflix has confirmed that it will expand into video games, starting with ad-free games for mobile devices like phones and tablets. The company says it “will be primarily focused” on mobile at first (no cloud streaming services), looking to expand on its interactivity projects like Black Mirror Bandersnatch and its Stranger Things games. It’ll offer its existing service at no added cost to subscribers.

The company also said in a letter to its shareholders that “We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation, and unscripted TV.” This represents the biggest expansion into a new kind of entertainment since it started streaming in 2007 and released its first original show in 2012. Netflix traces broad ambitions for gaming generally, indicating that it ultimately thinks of pursuing console games too.

However, there are still no details on what types of games will be available, though Netflix recently extended its TV deal with Shonda Rhimes to include feature films and gaming content. There’s also no detail on how games will be delivered to Netflix subscribers.

Additionally, Netflix says it forecasts new customer additions to hit 3.5 million in Q3 2021, with a lineup that includes new seasons of popular shows like Money Heist, Sex Education, Never Have I Ever along with live-action films like Sweet Girl, Kissing Booth 3, and many more.

The company has also acknowledged in the past that it competes with games for time and attention, with Co-CEO Reed Hastings writing that “we compete with Fortnite more than HBO” in 2019. COO Greg Peters discussed the company’s interest in games in April as part of its first-quarter earnings.

Do comment down your opinion on this gaming expansion by Netflix and stay tuned for further updates.