Netflix started in its second-quarter earnings report on Tuesday that its early gaming efforts will be centered on mobile games and that the games will be included with customers’ Netflix subscriptions. The news comes just days after the firm announced the hiring of Mike Verdu, a former EA, and Oculus executive, to lead its gaming efforts.
From Netflix’s letter to investors, here’s what it said about gaming:
We’re also in the early phases of extending into games, drawing on our previous interactive initiatives (e.g., Black Mirror Bandersnatch) and Stranger Things games. We see gaming as a new content category for us, in the same way, that we’ve expanded into original films, animation, and unscripted television. Games, like films and shows, will be included in customers’ Netflix subscriptions at no additional cost. We’ll start by concentrating on games for mobile devices. We’re as thrilled as ever about our movie and TV series offerings, and we foresee a long runway of increased investment and growth across all of our existing content categories, but now that we’ve been at it for almost a decade, we believe it’s time to learn more about how our members value gaming.
Although Netflix just expanded its TV contract with Shonda Rhimes to include feature films and gaming content, there are still no indications on what sorts of games would be accessible. There’s also no indication of how Netflix subscribers will get their games.
In the past, the business has admitted that it competes for time and attention with games, with co-CEO Reed Hastings stating in 2019 that “we compete with (and lose to) Fortnite more than HBO.” In April, as part of the company’s first-quarter reporting, COO Greg Peters mentioned the interest of the company in gaming (PDF). And with games like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Carmen Sandiego, the firm has already dabbled with gaming.
However, it appears like Netflix is now more interested in gaming than ever, with the recent appointment of Verdu and the fresh details revealed Tuesday about its first intentions.
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