Netflix Games had a huge 2023! More specifically, December 2023 was the largest month for Netflix Games on record with downloads of games being up by 180% compared to other months in the year. So, let’s discuss why it is now vital for Netflix to keep building on its momentum from 2023 into 2024 to keep attracting more gamers and partnerships.
Video Games Are An Extremely Competitive Market
Let’s start with the obvious point: competition! Netflix is going toe to toe with gaming giants like Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and Tencent, and while Netflix does have six-game studios and hundreds of IP, it does not have the experience that those gaming companies have. If Netflix wants to keep the attention on them after their huge success in December, the next logical thing, in my opinion, for Netflix to do is to announce dates and confirm more games for Netflix Games In 2024.
While we do have confirmation of multiple games coming to Netflix Games in 2024 (including well-known games like Sonic Mania and the sequel to cozy game Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit), Netflix needs to keep making deals with notable game developers and publishers as well as grow its Netflix exclusives as the cloud gaming and mobile gaming markets continue to grow.
Netflix Has The IP To Compete and Should Announce New Projects As Soon As They Can
The next point is simple: Netflix has hundreds of IPs in its catalog across television, film, animation, video games, books, and comics and should leverage them as much as they can. With the popularity of Netflix franchises like Squid Game starting to wain and other popular shows like Stranger Things coming to an end, the best way for Netflix to keep these IPs relevant to their gaming audience is to confirm new projects, especially video games. Netflix also owns six video game studios which include IPs like Compass Point West, Oxenfree, Dungeon Boss Respawned, and Road Not Taken among many others. While several of these games are already on Netflix Games, it would make sense in my opinion for Netflix to confirm ports and cloud versions for the games that are not already available.
It’s Time Netflix Fully Rolls Out Cloud Gaming
Right this next point is probably one of the most vital: Netflix Games currently offers a handful of video games that are available to stream via web browsers and select Smart TVs via your Netflix subscription. However, Netflix’s cloud gaming offering is currently only available in the UK, US and Canada. With Netflix being a global company (only four countries don’t have Netflix), it feels like 2024 would be a good time for Netflix to start rolling out its cloud gaming platform to other notable gaming markets like Japan, South Korea, Germany, France and Brazil.
Why This Matters
To explain this, I’m going to compare Netflix Games to three cloud gaming platforms from the past and the present. The services I will compare Netflix Games to are Google Stadia, OnLive and Amazon Luna. When you compare Netflix Games to the three other cloud gaming platforms above, you can see where the concern comes into play. Google Stadia and OnLive, for example, both had major hype around their platforms and had promotions like free hardware which gave a boost in player count. However neither Google Stadia or OnLive could keep their momentum growing, and despite having support from publishers like Ubisoft continously supporting both platforms, both Google Stadia and OnLive both shuttered their services a few years after launching.
Amazon Luna is another example that (like Google Stadia and OnLive) allowed themselves to lose momentum. Now many people forget that Amazon Luna is even still active. The reason this is a concern is that, whilst months will vary when it comes to game additions and the popularity of those games, Netflix shouldn’t rest on its laurels after a successful 2023 – especially if they want to stay relevant and keep raising prices.
What do you think? What do you think Netflix Games needs to do to keep growing their momentum? Let us know on social media.
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