Summary
Netflixcurrently has over 80 games in development, a senior company official has disclosed. This staggering figure emerged from a wider overview ofNetflix’s gaming division, which also revealed some other tidbits about the current state of this emerging branch of the video streaming giant.
Netflix’s gaming foraystarted in July 2021, when the company announced plans to both develop and publish games in a bid to add more value to its subscription service. Since then, the group has licensed a variety of third-party titles, and has also started to make its own games. While some of those projects were developed—or are still in the works—with outside assistance, Netflix has gradually been trying to increase its in-house development capabilities over the years.
Netflix Teases Over 80 New Games
Its overall momentum in the gaming sphere has now reached unprecedented heights, with Netflix co-CEO Gregory K. Peters revealing that the company is currently working on more than 80 new games. During anearnings callwith analysts held following the July 18 publication of the group’s Q2 2024 earnings report, Peters characterized this upcoming batch of titles as an attempt to refineNetflix’s game catalog. To that end, the new projects will largely double down on things that have so far proven to work, while eschewing those that didn’t. The executive likened this approach to the way Netflix approaches new movie and TV show development.
Netflix Tripled Player Engagement in 2023, But It Wants More
Peters also revealed that the company managed to triple its year-on-year player engagement over the course of 2023, adding that its growth in this metric is still “looking good” as of the first half of 2024. Moving forward, Netflix has set even “more aggressive growth goals” for 2025 and 2026, the co-CEO said. Be that as it may, Peters conceded that the division is still in its infancy, and that theimpact of Netflix games on the company’s overall businessis “still quite small.”
Reflecting on the upcoming three-year anniversary of the streaming giant’s gaming foray, the co-CEO said that Netflix has managed to publish over 100 games since 2021. Game Rant’s review of the company’s current catalog revealed 96 such titles that are available to play globally as of late July 2024. While most of those are third-party releases, Netflix has also been growing increasingly committed to making interactive experiences based on its own IPs, with those efforts previously yielding titles such asThe Queen’s Gambit Chess,Narcos: Cartel Wars Unlimited, andToo Hot to Handle: Love Is a Game.
Netflix Stories Moving to a Monthly Game Release Schedule
Peters said those original experiences will be a big part of the company’s gaming focus moving forward. Ditto for interactive narrative experiences, which he characterized as “easier to build.” On that note, the group recently launched a narrative hub called Netflix Stories, which already offers two such titles. Starting July 2024, the company will begin releasing onenew Netflix Stories gameper month, the co-CEO revealed. In the meantime, the group has also been looking for a new head of gaming since June, when it was announced that Mike Verdu would move to a different role at Netflix to pursue “the cutting edge of game innovation.”
Netflix
Netflix is one of the most popular and widely viewed streaming services in the world. Beginning with its mail order DVD service, Netflix has since grown into an entertainment juggernaut, with original shows and movies including Squid Game, Stranger Things, The Irishman, and The Killer.
