Netflix’s next take on gaming is here. Starting today you’ll be able to play many multiplayer party games on your TV using your phone as a controller. For starters, Netflix is offering Boggle Party, Party Crasher: Fool Your Friends, lego party, Fantasy: Game NightAnd tetris time warpA social deduction game based on knives out series, Dead Man’s Party: A Knives Out Gameis also part of this new slate but will launch later.
The streaming platform’s approach to gaming has been unfocused, with the company bouncing between being a boutique development studio as well as a platform for premium and exclusive mobile gaming experiences. Offering party games on your TV seems to be a better option – one that could finally allow Netflix to establish its gaming foothold.
TV-supported party games have been a long time coming. Netflix announced that it was working on cloud streaming technology for games in 2022, before beta testing began in 2023. Now it’s here, with a multiplayer game the company hopes will become a new version of family board game night. And although it sounds a little strange, it makes sense.
Large video game publishers have acknowledged that their competitors are not only each other, but also other attention-seekers like TikTok and Instagram. It seems Netflix has taken notice too. And a great way to keep people on your app – which is why Netflix started this gaming initiative – is to give people something to gather and do.
Netflix has also shown some wisdom in the games it offers. This year has seen an explosion in the popularity of co-op games that have less immediacy and more casual cooperation elements than traditional multiplayer games; Thinking braidNo FortniteThe games that Netflix is offering are ready to take advantage of that growing trend, Boggle Party And Fantasy: Game Night Whereas, video game-ified versions of popular board games are tetris time warp And lego party There are good old-fashioned video games based on widely known properties made easily accessible, no console required.
Netflix’s gaming initiative has had a few twists and turns and was primarily focused on mobile gaming. Starting in 2021, it began acquiring video game studios, including bull free Developer Night School and Spree Fox, creator of cozy grove Sports series. It also established its own studio – working with veterans of game development overwatch, haloAnd god of war – With a design to create your own AAA console game. Additionally, Netflix was also the exclusive mobile home for several critically acclaimed games. monument Valley, poinpiAnd HadesWith these offerings, Netflix indicated that it wanted its gaming initiatives to appeal to more people than the casual set,
But then, reflecting broader trends in the gaming industry, Netflix started closing studios. In 2024, he shut down the AAA studio before releasing or announcing the game he was working on. Earlier this year, the streamer spun off another of its subsidiaries, Boss Fight Entertainment, shortly after the release Squid Game: ExposedA game that Netflix is often praised for its popularity. Most of those critically acclaimed games are also gone, with Netflix removing many third-party titles from its service, catching the developers of some games by surprise.
All of these incidents seem to indicate that Netflix’s current approach to gaming was not working. The things the dreamer was throwing at the wall weren’t sticking (or at least not sticking enough to justify the expense). An interview with Ellen Tasken, President of Netflix Games, confirmed this. “We need to find our voice,” he said. The Verge Earlier this year, sharing that the strategy going forward would be to “readjust and focus on fewer areas with greater intention.”
“We need to find our voice.”
Taskan described four areas of focus: games for kids, narrative games tied to Netflix IP, games with larger, broader appeal, and multiplayer party games. Netflix already has the first three, and with cloud multiplayer gaming, the final component has arrived. This refocus mirrors similar moves at Apple Arcade and Amazon’s game service Luna, which started with big-name titles and ambitions before switching to more casual offerings.
Netflix clearly wants to change its perception from a streaming service to something more. In addition to all these traditional gaming offerings, it is also offering daily puzzle games and interactive events similar to game shows – with cash prizes – to keep people on the Netflix wheel for more than just watching TV. With These Games, Netflix Is No Longer Where People Go to Watch kpop demon hunter For the 57th time, but something that is trying to become a daily fixture in the lives of its users.