Netflix (NFLX.O) is embarking on an interesting venture with its foray into the world of gaming, aiming to expand its horizons by enabling gaming across multiple devices. The strategic move was announced in a blog post on Monday by Mike Verdu, the company's Vice President of Games.
In a groundbreaking move, Netflix has launched a limited beta trial, giving a select group of members in Canada and the UK the opportunity to try out these games on select TVs starting this Monday. In the coming weeks, the trial will also be expanded to PC and Mac users via Netflix.com, which can be accessed through supported browsers.
The streaming service is venturing deeper into the interactive entertainment space, following an earlier move into mobile gaming in November 2021. Currently, Netflix's gaming offerings are only available on Apple's (AAPL.O) iOS and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Android platforms.
The initial test phase will feature exciting titles such as "Oxenfree" from Night School Studio, a Netflix-owned game studio, and "Molehew's Mining Adventure," an arcade game about mining for gems.
Users will later have the exciting opportunity to play these games on their TV screens using their mobile devices. Similarly, PC and Mac users will be able to immerse themselves in the games on Netflix.com using their familiar keyboard and mouse setup. This is a huge step in Netflix's journey to create a more interactive and diverse entertainment experience for its audience.
Netflix also announced that these games will be available on TV through collaboration with leading partners, including the Amazon Fire TV streaming media player, Chromecast with Google TV, various Roku devices and TVs, and a few other select devices. Netflix also emphasized that it will continue to add more devices over time.
In early March, the company confirmed this move by announcing that it had compiled a list of 40 game titles that it plans to launch by the end of the year. In addition, there are another 70 games in development with collaborative partners, which will add to the collection of 16 games currently being worked on by the company's in-house game studio.
Verdu said the hope is that by making games available on a wider range of devices, Netflix members around the world will be able to enjoy the gaming experience more easily.
