Netflix

Update: Netflix has now confirmed that it is indeed expanding into the world of video games.

In a shareholders letter (thanks, Gamespot), the company says that it is "in the early stages" of its new initiative, confirming that games will eventually be included as part of a Netflix subscription at no extra cost, as previously reported:

"We’re also in the early stages of further expanding into games, building on our earlier efforts around interactivity (eg, Black Mirror Bandersnatch) and our Stranger Things games. We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV.

Games will be included in members’ Netflix subscription at no additional cost similar to films and series. Initially, we’ll be primarily focused on games for mobile devices. We’re excited as ever about our movies and TV series offering and we expect a long runway of increasing investment and growth across all of our existing content categories, but since we are nearly a decade into our push into original programming, we think the time is right to learn more about how our members value games."

Original Article (Thu 15th Jul, 2021 12:00 BST): TV and movie streaming giant Netflix could offer video games as part of its subscription from as early as next year, a new report claims.

According to Bloomberg, a person "familiar with the situation" has stated that video games could appear "within the next year", being available alongside the service's current content as a new, standalone genre. Apparently, Netflix doesn't have any plans to charge any extra for the video game content on offer, presumably meaning that current subscribers would be able to access the games with no extra steps required.

The report notes that Netflix has hired former Electronic Arts and Oculus veteran Mike Verdu as its vice president of game development; previously, Verdu worked as Facebook’s vice president and was in charge of helping developers bring their games to the Oculus VR platform.

The idea of Netflix adding games to its service isn't new, of course; reports surrounding the possibility first appeared back in May, and the company itself has expressed that it's "excited to do more with interactive entertainment." We've also seen Netflix properties appear on Switch, such as Stranger Things 3: The Game – but will games like these end up being exclusive to Netflix's service going forward?

Are you a Netflix subscriber? Would you welcome games to the service? How do you think such a thing could impact Nintendo, Xbox Game Pass, or other areas of the gaming world? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

[source bloomberg.com, via eurogamer.net]