Netflix Is About To Add A Ton More Games
Netflix has reached a new partnership that will bring a ton of new games to the streaming platform as part of their latest initiative
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Netflix suffered a massive stock crash just over a week ago when it was announced that the company hadn’t reached its expected subscriber count. As per our previous report, the value of Netflix’s stocks fell by 24.37% (compared to current value), or a massive 37.04% compared to one month ago. Still, the company reached another partnership deal this week that will bring tons more video games to the Netflix games streaming service.
According to Comic Book, Netflix games section just partnered up with RocketRide Games, a video game agency that already has two of its games featured on Netflix’s ever-growing platform. The partnership was previously announced this week in a press release from the streaming giant and the gaming agency that discussed the terms of their arrangement. RocketRide Games currently has Dominoes and Knittens on Netflix, and more games are bound to be added to Netflix in the coming months. Unfortunately, no specific gaming titles were named, but Netflix said they’d have no ads or in-app purchases and will be included alongside others within the Netflix games existing subscription plans.
Admittedly, this new Netflix games partnership could be a response to Netflix’s current stock situation as means to attract more subscribers to compensate for slower growth. The company missed its expected subscriber count by 200,000 users, rounding the current number at 8.3 million instead of the expected 8.5 million subscribers. That triggered the alarm bells and caused the massive crash. And while Netflix’s executive officers said that they couldn’t identify the cause for the slowdown in subscriber growth, market saturation could be the main cause. Netflix gained 28 million new subscribers in 2018, 27 million in 2019, and more than 36 million in 2020 (driven by lockdowns). However, in Q1 and Q2 of 2021, Netflix added only 5.5 million subscribers to its service and only 2.8 in Q3 and Q4 2021, despite its massive library of titles.
It’s entirely possible that a Netflix games venture that previously hinted at its plans to expand beyond television series and movies was an attempt to compensate for the slowdown rather than simple company expansion. Netflix announced its venture into gaming in the first half of 2021, and its gaming service finally launched in late 2021. It was initially for Android users, followed by an iOS release. The gaming expansion opened with Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game, Teeter Up, Card Blast, and Shooting Hoops, with several other titles added afterward. In addition, the company planned to offer a variety of games catering to different subscribers and thus increase the time users spend on the platform.
Admittedly, the company’s platform is still in its early days, but Netflix has already acquired one gaming studio to help with the development of gaming titles based on Netflix’s IP. It shouldn’t be surprising to see the number of games offered on Netflix’s platform grow as the company expands and attracts more subscribers. It’s also worth mentioning that Netflix managed to launch its fully functional gaming service six months ahead of schedule. This is truly commendable, considering the massive delays the entire entertainment industry is going through. Perhaps Netflix’s future lies entirely within game streaming instead of films and television shows. Who knows, ten years from now, “Netflix Originals” might have an entirely different meaning.
