After smartphones, Netflix is bringing games to its TV platform: Report

Netflix is expanding its gaming service beyond smartphones, enabling users to play interactive party and casual games directly on their TVs using smartphones as controllers

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Netflix has reportedly announced that it is making video games available to play on TVs. According to Bloomberg, Netflix Co-CEO, Greg Peters, while talking about this said, “One of the gaming areas we’re going after is social gaming experiences that can show up on your TV.” Until now, Netflix games such as Squid Games Unleashed and Cut the Rope Daily have been playable on iPhone and Android smartphones only; however, with this announcement, Netflix users will also be able to play games on TVs.

 

According to Bloomberg, Netflix is primarily offering games that can be played in groups such as Boggle Party, Pictionary: Game Night, Tetris Time Warp, and Lego Party. Users will be able to use their smartphones as controllers to play the game on TV. To play, users must have a smart TV or use streaming devices like those from Roku Inc. To turn a phone into a controller, players will have to scan a QR code, according to Bloomberg.

How Netflix plans to evolve from streaming service to entertainment hub

Bloomberg noted that not many people view Netflix as an entertainment or gaming hub, as they already have their preferred platforms. To tackle this, Netflix is trying to come up with different strategies. According to the report, Netflix initially believed that providing free mobile games would draw in a large number of users. However, after not receiving much acceptance, the company has now decided to focus on four key categories — children’s games, party-style titles, popular franchises like Grand Theft Auto, and games inspired by Netflix originals such as Stranger Things. According to the report, every title in this first offering remains free to play.

 

Alain Tascan, the head of Netflix’s gaming business, was quoted as saying, “To entertain the world, we must include games. A lot of companies have a lot of users, but not that many have all these people on the main entertainment screen at home, the TV.”

For the uninitiated, Netflix launched its gaming service on phones and other mobile devices in November 2021, offering a library of ad-free games to its subscribers. Now, with this latest development, the company is proceeding to the next stage of its plan to evolve from just a streaming service into an entertainment hub.