Do you remember that Netflix also has games in its catalog? Well, this week, the streaming company has decided to take it a step further. Starting this Monday, certain Netflix users in the United Kingdom and Canada will be able to play streaming games on their TVs or PCs, either using their app or accessing the website.
Mike Verdu, Netflix’s Vice President of Games, states in a company blog post that this initiative is a “limited beta test” for a “small number of members,” which slightly pushes back the official launch of the feature, likely requiring a few more months of waiting (assuming all goes well).
While Netflix has had games in its catalog since 2021 (a completely free feature for subscribers), up until now, they could only be played on mobile devices, whether on iOS or Android. With this new test, the titles from Netflix’s game library could also be played on computers and TVs, a development that would significantly expand their usage.
However, those fortunate enough to test this feature will only be able to play two titles in the cloud for now. On one hand, we have Oxenfree, a game created by Night School Studio (acquired by Netflix in 2021). On the other hand, Netflix players can enjoy Molehew’s Mining Adventure, an “arcade gem-mining game.”
To play these titles, users will need to use their mobile devices as controllers. While Android users only need to use the Netflix app, iOS users will need to download a separate app from the App Store, specifically designed to function as a controller for Netflix games.
With this initiative, Netflix is forging ahead with a venture that YouTube also embarked upon. Recently, YouTube began internally testing a new feature for streaming games directly from its platform. Google didn’t fare well with its previous attempt, Stadia, but can Netflix succeed where others faltered? Only time will tell if Netflix can achieve success in this arena.
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