In a recent announcement, Mike Verdu, the Vice President of Games at Netflix, shared exciting news about the company’s plan to test and expand its gaming offerings.
This move is aimed at making games accessible on a wider range of devices, providing members with more options for entertainment.
The initial phase of this expansion involves a limited beta test, starting with a small group of members in Canada and the United Kingdom.
The testing will be conducted on select televisions, computers, and laptops. This step demonstrates Netflix’s commitment to enhancing its gaming features and making them available to a global audience.
To begin with, a couple of games will be part of this testing phase. The first is “Oxenfree,” developed by Night School Studio, which is one of Netflix’s own game studios.
The second game is “Molehew’s Mining Adventure,” an engaging gem-mining arcade game. Both of these titles will provide users with an initial taste of the gaming experience that Netflix aims to offer.
The gaming experience will be tailored to different devices. For those using televisions, the games can be played using a smartphone as a controller.
On the other hand, PC and Mac users can access the games through Netflix.com using a keyboard and mouse.
This versatility in control options ensures that users can play the games in a way that suits their preferences and devices.
Netflix is partnering with leading device manufacturers to enable this expanded gaming experience.
Among the initial partners are Amazon Fire TV Streaming Media Players, Chromecast with Google TV, Roku devices, and others. This collaboration reflects Netflix’s dedication to making gaming accessible across a variety of platforms and technologies.
This expansion follows Netflix’s initial foray into gaming, which began with the introduction of games on mobile devices in November 2021.
Initially available on Apple’s iOS and Alphabet’s Android, the gaming library is now being extended to TVs and computers. This move is driven by the company’s vision to provide seamless entertainment options for its members worldwide.
Looking ahead, Netflix has ambitious plans for its gaming offerings. The company has revealed that it has a robust lineup of 40 games scheduled for release later this year, in addition to the 70 games currently in development through partnerships.
These new releases will complement the 16 games already being created by Netflix’s in-house game studios.
In conclusion, Netflix’s decision to expand its gaming experience marks an important milestone in its journey to provide diverse and engaging entertainment options.
The initial beta testing on select devices in Canada and the United Kingdom, along with the upcoming availability on PCs and Macs, demonstrates Netflix’s commitment to making gaming accessible to a broader audience.
As the company continues to collaborate with device manufacturers and develop new titles, members can look forward to an ever-expanding world of entertainment right at their fingertips.