Back in 2019, when Netflix still ruled the streaming roost, the company made a statement in a shareholder letter that surprised even keen-eyed media commentators. Having previously stated that its goal was to become the next HBO, Netflix was now saying: “we compete with (and lose to) Fortnite more than HBO.” It was situating itself in a competitive landscape alongside not just TV companies, but all media vying for audience screen-time. Back then gaming was its biggest threat. Today it might be its saviour.
Netflix has continued to take video games seriously ever since, with many of its biggest shows such as The Witcher, Arcane, Castlevania and Resident Evil tied to major gaming IPs. Then in late 2021 it completed the circle by launching Netflix Games, a modest offering of mobile games available to subscribers for no extra cost. For the first six months, there were few interesting titles. Even today, hardly anybody seems to know that the service exists — less than 1 per cent of Netflix users are engaging with games. Yet since June Netflix has been rolling out a surprisingly ambitious gaming line-up, with a plan for 50 to be available by the end of the year.
This comes at a precarious moment for the company, which has suffered significant drops in share price, cut hundreds of jobs and lost more than a million subscribers this year. Are these game offerings just a desperate attempt to retain dominance in an increasingly competitive streaming market? Or does Netflix actually have the goods to claim territory in the gaming sphere and retain subscribers — or even woo a new gaming audience?