Netflix Launches Exclusive Version of Popular Heads Up! Game; Continuing Expansion into Mobile Games
Don’t look now, but Netflix is getting a bit more playful as the global streaming giant has partnered with Ellen DeGeneres’ Ellen Digital Ventures to launch a new, digital version of the wildly popular party game Heads Up! This new version will be available to Netflix subscribers for free and will put their Netflix I.Q. to the test with 28 decks inspired by some of the streamer’s most popular series including “Bridgerton,” “Selling Sunset,” “Stranger Things,” “Squid Game,” and more.
The Netflix Heads Up! decks will also have trivia from general entertainment categories and others focused on the streamer’s genre-specific categories highlighted by its social media channels GEEKED, NetflixIsAJoke, and Strong Black Lead. For the uninitiated, Heads Up! is a twist on charades in which players have to guess the words on another player’s forehead before a one-minute timer runs out.
Check out a preview of Netflix Heads Up!:
The app allows friends and family to play together in groups large and small, and to easily share recordings of their games on social media. And, for the first time ever, Netflix fans around the world will be able to play the game on their Android and iOS devices in up to 15 different languages including French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Thai.
The original Heads Up! has amassed more than 70 million downloads and boasts 40 million users worldwide. Also, it has been Apple’s top paid app for the past five consecutive years.
Check out some of the decks featured in Netflix Heads Up!:
- “Bridgerton:” Dearest Gentle Reader, you are invited to play the Bridgerton deck where you will engage in a ball of fun as you guess clues based on the hit show.
- GEEKED: Do you love sci-fi, horror, fantasy, comic books, and video games? Congratulations, you’re a Geek just like us and we love you for it! Please enjoy this super GEEKED deck!
- NetflixIsAJoke: Comedy is the best medicine. Cure your boredom with this deck that includes comic greats and comedy terminology.
- “Squid Game:” Pull out your tracksuit because the Squid Game Deck is sure to make you sweat. Guess Squid Game-related actions, characters, and themes without saying the word or rhyming.
- Strong Black Lead: Strong Black Lead amplifies Black voices, stories, and creators. Show off your knowledge of Black actors, entertainers, series, and films!
- “Stranger Things:” Join The Party and enjoy this deck full of characters, words, phrases, and more from the Stranger Things series.
Netflix has been strategically expanding into mobile games in recent years. In the spring, the company announced that it was developing both a mobile game and an animated series based on the popular card game “Exploding Kittens,” and Netflix already has games from some of its most popular IP, including “Stranger Things” and “The Queen's Gambit.”
The streaming giant’s executives said in April that they believe mobile games will provide more benefits to the service than spending money to secure live sports rights. Despite the platform looking to up its gaming offerings from 24 to 50, a recent report indicated that only 1% of Netflix's global customers are currently playing the streamer’s games.
Netflix Heads Up! is a different type of game for the platform, one that is meant to be played in person with other people, rather than exclusively on a phone or tablet. As the streaming giant continues to explore new ways to get customers to engage with the service, expect more outside-the-box, off-the-top-of-their-heads thinking from Netflix execs.
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.