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.”
Although the announcement was light on any
speciics, Netlix recently extended deals with
creators such as Shonda Rhimes to include
both feature ilms and games, suggesting that
the potential to expand into the territory has
been in the works for a while. With little detail
thus far, it’s hard to know exactly how gaming
could work on the platform - indeed, on iOS,
users wouldn’t be able to download separate
apps as premium Netlix games without the
company allowing people to subscribe via
iTunes, so it could be that the Netlix app
serves as a way to stream new games, though
that’s also currently against Apple’s terms
of service. The company could follow in the
footsteps of Apple Arcade (more on that later)
by launching several new games via apps and
let users subscribe to access them all.
Although gaming has seen a signiicant
uptake over the past two years, some might
still question why the streaming giant would
consider gaming its next move. But co-CEO Reed
Hastings revealed that the company “competes
with” and “loses to” Fortnite more than it does
HBO - it’s a constant efort to compete with
games for time and attention. Plus, it’s worth
noting that Netlix already has games under
its belt, releasing experiences like Black Mirror:
Bandersnatch and Carmen Sandiego, and it may
hold data that shows gaming makes sense. It
won’t be an easy battle, but it’s a battle Netlix’s
executives think is worth taking.