The gaming landscape has been in constant flux for the past couple of years. With the advent of cloud gaming and improved internet speeds worldwide, many big names have entered the gaming industry. One of these companies is Netflix. Yes, Netflix, offers streaming services and has a hefty library of movies and Television series on its platform.

Netflix entered the gaming market back in 2021 when they announced that they would be offering playable games on smart TVs, Phones, and Computers included in their app that you can easily access if you have already subscribed to their monthly service. They let you download these games to your phone or tablet devices which can then be played.

Recently, Netflix announced its controller app, “Netflix Game Controller,” for iOS devices, enabling you to play these games on your TV while your phone works like a console controller. With the release of its controller app, Netflix is likely making its move to adopt the cloud gaming platform further, and there are no signs of them backing down.

The app’s interface seems friendly and easier to set up and use, as it only has a few control buttons. Moreover, you can select which game you want to play on your TV and pair your phone to it through the app to control the game’s functionality through your phone remotely. But the feature is unavailable on Smart TVs, which Netflix plans to add soon. This app is more of an indication of what Netflix is planning to do with its gaming platform. However, the app is only available on Apple’s Appstore right now. Still, its addition to the Android is a very plausible scenario which Netflix might be doing sooner than you think.

Netflix has also invested a lot of money into its game development program since its announcement, and it has been speculated that Netflix is going all out to push this project to the mainstream as soon as possible. Many sources claim that Netflix has been focusing heavily on developing newer games, with around 70+ games reported to be under development, which they plan to release in the coming months.

So why is Netflix doing this? The simple answer is that they might have seen the massive success of mobile gaming and its unusual virality in the mainstream media, which might have compelled them to take such a step. Moreover, as more solid and sturdy mobile gaming hardware such as the Steam Deck is capturing audiences' attention and pulling in massive sales, the gaming industry is becoming increasingly lucrative to enter, respectively.

Platforms like Google Stadia, a cloud-based gaming platform, could have expanded more but appealed somewhat to gamers and enthusiasts. Netflix believes that the failure of Google Stadia was a wrong business model implementation rather than the cloud-gaming technology.

Rashail
Rashail
Rashail is a long-time avid PC gamer with ample enthusiasm for PC parts and builds. He built his first PC at 16 and has been gaming ever since. With incalculable love for PC building and competitive FPS games, he has been tweaking and optimizing his rig’s performance for the best possible outcome.