If you’re like every other elderly millennial, you likely know there’s no greater place to be than sunken into your couch on a Friday night with snacks, a drink, and knee deep in a bingeable Netflix series – *coughs* Black Mirror season 7. If you found yourself scrolling through their titles though, you probably noticed the gaming beta.
I stumbled across a couple of titles and realized these are legitimate games. I played one where I synced my phone to the TV, converting it into a controller and giving me a genuine gaming experience. But of course, I couldn’t just leave it there – my mind started racing: “Why would Netflix introduce gaming in its subscription model?”
Multiple gaming studios have closed, and platforms have called it quits – ultimately sparking layoffs and leaving executives scrambling to recover from millions in sunk costs. Consumer preferences in the gaming industry have shifted dramatically, and while everyone else is trying to pivot away from the gaming business, here comes Netflix off the top rope just going for it!
Netflix vs. Xbox Game Pass: A Strategic Play
Then, I had a revelation – what if Netflix is creeping into Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass market? As far as subscription gaming goes, Game Pass is the crème de la crème of cloud-based gaming. They’ve got top titles, you can play on anything, anywhere – totally device agnostic. Well, Netflix is device agnostic as well, and with them earning more credibility with movie publishers, there are likely traditional gaming publishers out there who would be willing to develop exclusive titles for them.
The evidence is already emerging. Netflix has secured exclusive gaming content that demonstrates their serious intentions in this space. Their approach leverages what they do best – delivering entertainment across any device you own.
The Long Game: Content Integration and Monetization
To bring it all full circle, Netflix has the potential to tie in original content from their movies and series to games, with a long-term goal of monetization in-games. The mobile games, like TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge – a personal favorite – could provide a future pathway to implement microtransactions through mobile wallets connected to your smart devices.
Unlike traditional gaming platforms that require expensive hardware investments, Netflix’s approach removes barriers to entry by utilizing devices subscribers already own. By transforming phones into controllers and making games accessible through familiar interfaces, they’re creating a seamless entertainment ecosystem where watching and playing blur together.
While Xbox Game Pass currently dominates the subscription gaming landscape with its extensive library and day-one releases, Netflix’s vast subscriber base gives them an advantage in potential reach. More importantly, their established relationships with content creators across film and television could translate into unique gaming partnerships that leverage recognizable intellectual property.
As subscription models continue reshaping how we consume entertainment, Netflix’s gaming strategy represents a bold countermove against industry trends. For consumers, this competition could ultimately lead to more value from their existing subscriptions and new ways to interact with their favorite content.