If you’re a Netflix subscriber looking for a good reason to try the company’s mobile games, this news may be for you. Netflix is quietly adding the ability to choose gamer handles, as well as other social functions to its mobile games, according to TechCrunch.
Gamer handles for Netflix users launched quietly last month for select titles such as “Into The Breach,” “Bowling Ballers,” “Mahjong Solitaire,” and “Heads Up!” Netflix is also reportedly developing features that allow gamers to see their place on leaderboards and invite other users to play with them.
“We are always looking to improve our member’s experience on the service and are exploring different features to enrich the Netflix mobile games experience,” said Netflix spokesperson Kumiko Hidaka according to TechCrunch.
It’s a good strategy for Netflix, as gaming is more and more an inherently social experience. Mobile games on social websites like Facebook attract more users because of the desire to play with friends, so adding a more social component makes sense for Netflix, which has been increasingly investing in mobile games over the past year.
A change is definitely called for if Netflix wants to expand the user base for its mobile games. According to a recent report, less than 1% of Netflix's 221 million subscribers play its games, despite the fact that they are free to all of the service’s customers.
The addition of gamer handles and more social functions is not the only tactic that Netflix is using to attract more mobile gamers. The company added 12 games to its library earlier this summer, and will expand its total to 50 by the end of this year.
Games added include one based on the incredibly popular card game “Exploding Kittens.” The game will be accompanied by an animated series, in a first of its kind simultaneous development. Netflix also launched a first-person shooter titled “Into the Dead 2: Unleashed.” Netflix has already released games based on some of its most popular IPs, including “Stranger Things.”
If these initiatives are successful, Netflix would have an advantage that none of the other streaming services have been able to unlock. While the goal of mobile games might not be to drive additional subscription numbers, they are designed to keep customers engaged — and paying for — the service, especially among younger generations. It remains to be seen whether the investment that Netflix is making will pay off, but to its credit, the streaming giant is attempting something that no other competing service has yet attempted, which should give it another advantage in the ever-evolving streaming wars.
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.