Video games on Netflix: Coming Soon
Yes, you heard it right. Netflix has announced their plans to offer video games on its platform in a few months. This is their first major change ever since they pivoted from DVD distribution to online streaming a decade ago. While Netflix has a few interactive movies and series which were like games, this is their official entry into the games industry, here is how they are doing it and why it is important.
What's the plan?
Although, exact details aren't disclosed, we know that Netflix will be treating it as a separate programming genre on the Netflix app or website and existing subscribers don't need to pay any extra fee for it and popular shows might be having some sort of game based on it (like Stranger Things is rumored to have) Apart from the above we know that a former Oculus (Formerly a Vice president at Facebook, who worked with Oculus) and EA executive has been hired as the Vice President of game development, which is pretty huge.
Why would Netflix do that?
Netflix is not the only streaming service anymore; in fact, every major entertainment company has a service of its own and services like Disney+ grew exponentially because of the amount of revenue and IP (Intellectual property) they can utilize to create a content library which Netflix would take years to catchup with. Due to this Netflix faces a crisis, where they could either fight the streaming wars or diversify, Netflix chose the latter. Also here are two quick fun facts: Netflix CEO identifies "Fortnite" as one of the largest competitors of their viewer's time and the revenue made by Games industry is more than that of sports and movies combined which is also why Netflix would like to enter this industry.
Importance of this announcement
Netflix's entry into video games means a lot, although it's unclear what type of games will be available and whether it would be streamed from cloud, or one would have to download it and play it inside the app. It is nevertheless exciting as it opens a lot of possibilities for companies to offer unique experiences and potentially make gaming accessible to all. With the rise of game streaming services like Xbox game pass, Apple arcade, Nvidia GeForce now, Amazon Luna, and Google Stadia. The entry of Netflix in this space increases the competition due to which consumers would benefit as they would work on undercutting one another based on price and the basis of the content offered.
That's it from my end, let me know your opinion about this announcement in the comment section below or tweeting @kinetechblog. In case you liked this article, make sure to check other articles on this blog and the resources mentioned below to understand more about this announcement.
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