Netflix has made a long-anticipated move that people have been eagerly awaiting. The company is getting into gaming and will now stream games directly to TVs.
On August 14, 2023, Netflix’s gaming chief, Mike Verdu, revealed that the company had started a “limited beta test” for a small group of members in Canada and the UK.
This test allows members to play two games on their TVs. According to Verdu, in the coming weeks, they will also enable the playing of these games on PCs using web browsers.
Netflix’s cloud gaming will make use of a smartphone controller app
Currently, the Netflix cloud gaming service doesn’t work with Bluetooth controllers. Instead, they have their own special smartphone app for controlling games. This app was seen in the iOS App Store recently.
The app shows a basic layout on your phone screen with a big A button in the center and smaller B, X, and Y buttons around it.
The setup is similar to the layout of Nintendo’s popular GameCube controller. For PCs, you’ll be able to use a mouse and keyboard to control the games, reported Polygon.
Netflix is starting to test game streaming and the controller…is your phone. I still think the biggest hurdle for streaming to take off with the mainstream is the requirement of a controller and I don't know if a touchscreen on your phone will ultimately be the solution. pic.twitter.com/9oSOoHMLcl
— Spawn Wave (@SpawnWaveMedia) August 14, 2023
During this beta test phase, there are two games available to play. The first is Oxenfree, a popular narrative adventure game from Night School Studio, a company Netflix acquired in 2021, and the second is a game named Molehew’s Mining Adventure.
The second game is less known and quite mysterious. Unlike Oxenfree, it is not yet one of the games in Netflix’s collection that can be played directly on smartphones with a subscription.
Verdu said it’s a “gem-mining arcade game.”
“By making games available on more devices, we hope to make games even easier to play for our members around the world,” Verdu stated in the official Netflix news article. “While we’re still very early in our games journey, we’re excited to bring joy to members with games.”
Other cloud gaming services
The way Netflix introduced this news is quite different from Google’s loud yet unsuccessful attempt at cloud gaming with Stadia, which was launched in 2019 but shut down only three years later.
While many people believe that cloud gaming will be an important part of the future of gaming, there are several challenges, both technical and otherwise, that are slowing down its progress, according to Polygon.
Netflix Games is officially making its way to the TV. The streaming giant has a game controller app through IOS.#NetflixGames #Netflix pic.twitter.com/0aMKhKqmUk
— Film News and More 🍿 (@FilmNewsAndMore) August 8, 2023
Other similar services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is still in its testing phase, and Nvidia’s GeForce Now have also faced slow adoption.
However, Netflix is showing a strong commitment to its gaming goals. Over the past two years, they have been steadily acquiring and establishing their own game studios. They have got a total of sixteen games in progress that they are developing themselves, reported Polygon.
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