Netflix and... game?
Earlier this year rumors swirled around tech and media communities that Netflix might be about to make a big investment into getting into the gaming industry. This week those rumors came to fruition as Bloomberg reported that Netflix had poached Mike Verdu — a seasoned game exec who has spent time at Electronic Arts, Zynga, Atari and (most recently) Facebook Gaming.
As we wrote about a month ago, Netflix is increasingly looking to increase its offering beyond just "Netflix and chill" — particularly as its subscriber growth has slowed down in recent months and competition intensifies in the streaming wars. Netflix's own forecast for the coming quarter are that it will add just 1 million new subscribers, way, way down on the 15.8 million that it added during the same quarter last year — which admittedly was during peak lockdown for many countries.
The possibility of playing games through the Netflix app on your TV, phone or tablet could give Netflix an edge over rivals who are still rushing to get original TV shows and movies lined up on their own streaming platforms. Linking those games to popular Netflix franchises could be a particular stroke of genius.
Ultimately Netflix will be hoping that games either help attract new subscribers, or let them charge more for a Netflix subscription to their existing subscriber base.
