Netflix’s First Games Will Be Available on Mobile at No Extra Charge to Subscribers

Netflix shocked us all when the streaming giant revealed earlier this month they will be developing video games for their service. Now, Netflix has revealed that its first games will be designed for mobile devices and that Netflix subscribers won’t need to pay anything extra to play them.

This information comes to us courtesy of a Netflix letter to investors.

“Initially, we’ll be primarily focused on games for mobile devices. We’re excited as ever about our movies and TV series offering and we expect a long runway of increasing investment and growth across all of our existing content categories,” Netflix said. “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.”

While Netflix developing games seems weird at first blush, it is clear that the streaming service needs something to help set itself apart from competitor services such as Disney+. And considering that Netflix previously published a Stranger Things mobile game in 2017 and has original programming based on games (including hit series like Castlevania and The Witcher), offering games directly to subscribers seems like a logical next step.

We don’t yet know when the first games will launch, though it could be as early as 2022. Meanwhile, dataminer Steve Moser has tweeted images of a DualSense controller and the hit PlayStation game Ghost of Tsushima that have appeared within the Netflix app.

Netflix’s gaming feature has a current working name of “Shark” and is represented by this image in their iOS app: a shark fin. Could an image of PS5 controllers and Sony’s Ghost of Tsushima (director’s cut coming Aug. 20th) indicate a partnership with $SONY? Cc @HedgeyeComm $NFLX pic.twitter.com/FLghlRlu20
— Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) July 15, 2021

This may mean that Netflix could be partnering with Sony to develop and deliver gaming content. And such a partnership may help Sony compete with Microsoft’s successful Game Pass service.

Sound off in the comments: what kinds of games would you like to see Netflix deliver? And would you prefer they stick to mobile games or branch out into more ambitious titles?