IN THE NEWS: Netflix Enters the Gaming Market

Gaming subscriptions are becoming more and more popular in the gaming industry. It seems like there is a market out there for people who are not concerned with owning their games. They are still gamers who still want to play video games even though ownership is not their priority. The constant purchasing of games does not appeal to them. So to subscribe to a service like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate that offers access to hundreds of games for $14.99 a month sounds like a far better deal than spending $59.99 to own a single game. I’ve always thought of these services as kind of a “Netflix of gaming.” But now Netflix itself is extending beyond just movies and television shows with the launch of Netflix Games.

If you have a Netflix subscription, you gain access to Netflix Games at no extra cost. At the time of this post, there are just five games currently available on the platform: Stranger Things: 1984, Stranger Things 3: The Game, Shooting Hoops, Card Blast, and Teeter Up. The game selection here leaves a lot to be desired although I can understand the inclusion of the Stranger Things titles with the television show being one of Netflix’s most popular. With this being a new venture for the streaming service company, I would have thought that at least one of the titles would have been something more familiar to gamers.

One of Netflix’s main competitors, Amazon, has a gaming service known as Prime Gaming (formerly Twitch Prime). It is part of an Amazon Prime subscription, which also includes access to TV shows and movies, as well as free and faster shipping. Each month, subscribers are offered free games that they can download and keep, regardless of whether the subscription stays active (unlike PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold). I have tried this and can confirm it. Along with the free games, Prime Gaming also regularly provides its subscribers with free in-game items and loot for a variety of different games. An Amazon Prime subscription is $12.99 per month, but the company offers free trials as well.

So what are the free games that Prime subscribers can download this month? Dragon Age Inquisition, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Control Ultimate Edition are this month’s offerings. Prime’s selection of games blows the list of five games mentioned previously for Netflix Games out of the water and into outer space. I point this out to show that Netflix has a long way to go before being comparable to Amazon in the gaming department. That is why I was underwhelmed with the launch of Netflix Games.

The good news is that it is still very early for this new Netflix venture. And Netflix Games is available for Netflix subscribers in every tier, including the basic $9.99 package. The company has said that it will offer both online and offline games on its platform and that the Netflix Games service will be available on Android devices. More information about Netflix Games can be found at https://about.netflix.com/en/news/let-the-games-begin-a-new-way-to-experience-entertainment-on-mobile. Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour this weekend and thanks for reading.

-LandoRigs (TVGA)
admin@videogamersadvocate.com

WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK OF NETFLIX ENTERING THE GAMING MARKET?

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