Netflix, is it now possible to play games too? From Squid
Not just films, TV series. After the success of Squid Game, Netflix launches itself into the world of Gaming
In the space of a couple of weeks, the Netflix TV series Squid Games has become the most watched ever on the streaming platform, overtaking Bridgerton. The streaming company would thus intend to broaden its vision, creating a real video game on Squid Game. This was stated unofficially by Minyoung Kim, vice president of content for Netflix's Asia-Pacific division, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. From the rumours, we understand that it would be a video game of the 'battle royale' genre, similar to the famous Fortnite and Pubg, which would be well suited to the plot of Squid Game, even if, at least for the moment, it is not known what it will consist of the title and if it will actually be launched. Netflix had announced, months ago, that it wanted to enter the video game sector, making video games available within its app, based on original series, and what could be better than playing the role of the player 456 Seong Gi-hun, in a game of death? To date, Android users can already access some games hosted on both the Play Store and the Netflix app.
Is this Netflix's cunning plan to focus on video games to increase audience involvement?
An important clue that suggests that the streaming giant, founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph, really intends to enter the gaming sector is the name of Mike Verdu: former Electronic Arts manager. A true expert in the gaming industry leads this adventure through uncharted waters, a plot worthy of Netflix.
The global market for streaming services is enriched with new players every day, Disney+ is a clear example of this. This platform, which brings together video content from Disney and Pixar, has already managed to win over a significant portion of fans in less than a year. So Netflix has seen fit to launch a new experience based on video games, at no additional cost, for its loyal subscribers. The intent is therefore not to change its services at all, but to offer more opportunities to its customers, who are already accustomed to using the online platform to access the catalog of streaming content on demand.
Will this strategic maneuver be able to guarantee more engagement?
From 28 September, for some countries including Italy, it will be possible to access games released by Netflix from Android smartphones and tablets. However, the titles to choose from are currently limited: Stranger Things 3: The Game, Stranger Things: 1984, Card Blast, Shooting Hoops and finally Teeter – Up.
If you are interested in one of the 5 games just listed, immediately access the Google Play Store and start downloading the chosen title on your smartphone. Once the installation has been completed on your device, all you need to do to start playing is to connect to your Netflix account. As anticipated, these are services for those who have an active subscription plan on the streaming platform. At the moment, talking about a real games platform within Netflix is premature: the few titles in the catalog are designed for a broad audience, without too many pretensions. Therefore, these are not complex graphics, but basic experiences that are reminiscent of old Arcade games.
Some of these video games, let's remember, were already available previously and are those linked to one of the sagas for which Netflix is famous: Stranger Things.
The debut of a new Netflix portal, full of video content such as films, TV series, documentaries and video games is upon us. We should have the first results already in 2022.
We just have to wait…
