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Just in time for the longest, hottest dog days of summer, Netflix has made an announcement that is about to change the way you view and use one of the biggest media streaming platforms. It’s no secret that the competition for streaming is fierce, and with Hulu adding original shows to its line-up and Amazon Prime and YouTube snagging so many subscribers, media providers will only be looking for new, inventive ways to corner the market. This could be it for Netflix: Netflix just made a huge announcement—and we certainly did not see this coming.
According to a report by Bloomberg, Netflix (which has more than 200 million subscribers) will look to gain even more of a following by providing video games on its service within the next year. In order to stay on top of their game, it’s important for these streaming platforms to constantly surprise viewers and offer something that no other competitor is giving them. And, in Netflix’s case, it was decided that offering video games as its own genre (similar to documentaries, comedies, and dramas) is the way to gain a larger share of the market.
Specific details about the new video game platform have not been revealed just yet, but so far we know that Netflix doesn’t have plans to charge extra for video games. If you are paying for a Netflix subscription, it will be offered to you the same way as other media. It may seem on the surface like Netflix wouldn’t need to change a single thing given its huge subscriber base. But the streaming service announced in April that it has 208 million subscribers globally after adding 4 million in the first quarter of 2021, and that that number fell short of its goal.
While some of its competitors, including Peacock and Disney+, pull in revenue based on things that aren’t related to streaming — like Iron Man toys and other outside ventures — Netflix has remained faithful to its streaming roots. This may prove to be a mistake if the platform doesn’t expand its offerings and branch out.
In an effort to diversify its offerings, Netflix hired Mike Verdu (who was the vice president of content at Facebook Reality Labs) as its vice president of game development. Time will tell if the addition of video games give Netflix an even bigger share of the streaming market.
