Hardly anyone plays, but the offer should be expanded

Since November last year, Netflix has also been known to offer games as part of its subscription that can be downloaded via Android or iOS as part of the mobile app. According to figures from app analytics company Apptopia, these have since been downloaded a total of 23.3 million times and used an average of 1.7 million times a day, which is less than one percent of Netflix’s 221 million subscribers.

Nonetheless, the streaming service is looking to continue its foray into video games, with plans to double its offering from the current 24 games to 50 titles by the end of the year, reports CNBC. The importance of games to Netflix’s overall strategy has arguably increased in recent months as the company faces increasing competition for user attention and the battle to stem declining subscriber numbers.

The company’s current catalog of 24 gaming apps covers various genres and Netflix series, including “Stranger Things”, while other titles are inspired by popular card games, such as “Mahjong Solitaire” or “Exploding Kittens”. Meanwhile, among the new games by the end of the year, a chess game adaptation of the successful series “The Queen’s Gambit” called “Queen’s Gambit Chess” is to be added.

Netflix and gaming: An early phase

Netflix bought three smaller game studios last year and also wants to license well-known brands for its new games, but so far the offer has not been expanded. “We’re intentionally keeping a low profile because we’re still learning and experimenting and trying to figure out what things really resonate with our members, what games people want to play,” said Leanne Loombe, Netflix’s director of external games, during a panel discussion at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. Meanwhile, Netflix’s Chief Operating Officer Greg Peters also said last year that the company would spend “many months and frankly years” figuring out how games can keep customers on the service.