Netflix continues to add to its diverse gaming portfolio, announcing a slew of new games coming to the platform this summer and beyond. While “serious gamers” may be tempted by the upcoming game gold statue incident or Don’t starve together – Games that have been successful on other platforms – The most exciting for Netflix and its gaming community are interactive fiction games.
“Expanding the world of beloved Netflix shows and movies is our biggest opportunity in gaming,” Leanne Loombe, Netflix’s head of external games, wrote in a recent blog post.
Now everyone starts playing games. this New York Times, LinkedIn, YouTube, and now maybe even Uber are all offering games as part of their services to increase subscriptions and user engagement. For some, it’s working. For others, not so much. Many of these game items feel like they’re tacked on to any service, like fries and wings at your favorite Chinese takeout restaurant. As fun as LinkedIn’s new games are, it’s hard to imagine people spending more time on sites like YouTube’s apology videos where CEOs announce layoffs, just to play them.
But what’s unique about Netflix is that, while it’s not a gaming company, its product does fit into a specific gaming experience that’s hugely popular but underserved. “We’ve seen a lot of success with interactive fiction games, such as for sale sunset, perfect matchand ultimatum“, Loombe said in an interview edge.
Reality television remains one of the most popular forms of entertainment. They are relatively cheap to produce and uniquely positioned to create dramatic moments that go viral on social media. With popular shows, viewers are naturally incentivized to seek out relevant content. After the huge success of Amazon. fall out The games became popular during the TV show, appearing on bestseller lists and Steam player charts.
Netflix’s gaming offerings are poised to capitalize on the same phenomenon. Because there is one fall out Fans have to go outside Amazon to play the game (or, as Amazon vainly hopes, use its cloud gaming service Luna). Netflix’s games bring the passion of the show’s community back into the app, creating what Loombe calls “nothing.” Sewing “Connective Tissue” TV shows and games. In this new attention economy, where companies compete to attract as many people as possible to their app or service, Netflix fans can continue their fan experience without having to leave the app, which could be a huge advantage.
Another advantage is the game itself. Adapting games can be difficult, and the results often fail to attract audiences as successfully as the originals. Uncharted is a critically acclaimed adventure game series; the movie is not. That quality gap is closing with shows like this the last of us and super mario bros movie. Netflix takes a strategic approach when choosing which shows to adapt into games to ensure an experience that faithfully recreates the essence of the show.
“Improv is really great because it has a fantasy element to it,” Lumbe said. “Players can pretend to be one of these characters and play out this fantasy like a mix of choose-your-own adventure and romance novel.”
It’s a fantasy that players carry with them and share elsewhere. too hot to handleFor example, there’s a dedicated community on Reddit with traditions like “Protagonist Mondays,” where players can post photos of their in-game avatars. “We have a very deeply customized system too hot to handle,” Lum explained. “So you can choose from all kinds of different items, prosthetics, different hairstyles, different hair colors and body types. It’s really well hidden.
Netflix’s game library starts with the following titles Shoot, wobble (upward)and card explosion. Three years later, it has grown into a company with established business giants and a major darling of indie development. We only know what Netflix has shared about how popular its games really are, and Netflix’s games audience is quite small as a percentage of its overall user base. While Netflix’s interactive fiction game didn’t attract the same attention, Grand Theft Auto trilogy or Hades Perhaps, they’ve quietly become one of the platform’s biggest success stories.
