Would you rather play Boggle or Pictionary on your TV? Netflix thinks so.
On Thursday, Netflix introduced a new feature called Game Night, which lets subscribers play a handful of video games with their TV, using their phone as a controller. Game Night launching today includes Boggle Party, Lego Party!, Fantasy: Game Night, tetris time warpAnd Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends. Game Night is now available at no additional subscription or fee.
A press release from Netflix said, “Netflix makes game night a whole lot easier. Now you can play games on your TV. All you need is Netflix and your phone. That’s it. Just like that, everything you need to start playing with your friends and family is at your fingertips.”
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Game Night represents a pivot to Netflix’s video game strategy. The streaming app first experimented with video games in 2021, but the platform never became central to gamers in the United States. Since 2021, Netflix has launched more than 100 mobile games new York TimesWith its most successful title, Grand Theft Auto San AndreasReached almost 40 million downloads.
However, the words download is key. To play Netflix games, users had to go to the App Store and download an app, which was a strange and counterintuitive approach for a streaming app. But with Netflix Game Night, users can play games directly in the Netflix app.
Netflix subscribers with compatible devices will have access to Game Night immediately, and it’s also accessible in web browsers. According to Netflix’s announcement, “To play games on your TV using your mobile device, select a game, then scan the game’s QR code with your phone’s camera.” And in a press release, Netflix said it would launch “a plethora of new titles” for the holiday season.
“Starting today, you can play games on your TV using your phone as a controller – no setup required, it’s as easy as streaming your favorite show,” Ellen Taskan, president of games at Netflix, said in a press release. “Now you can go from watching Kpop Demon Hunters to playing Pictionary: Game Night without leaving Netflix. And for those who love to play anywhere and everywhere, we’re bringing even more games to your phone with our special Netflix touch.”