In Poland, Netflix is already giving a preview of its upcoming subscription to the game. Users in Poland can already call up a beta version of the upcoming gaming subscription for the Android mobile video streaming service. With “Stranger Things 1984” and “Stranger Things 3”, two mobile titles are available for download there.
Well, download it: Netflix Gaming won’t be a cloud gaming service, but just a game subscription like Google Play Pass. The titles are not broadcast on peripheral devices, but rather played locally in the traditional way. Games can also be downloaded from the Play Store: if you click on a title in your Netflix subscription, you will be redirected to the Google Android Store.
Netflix has game plans
Netflix plans to set up a game subscription service that’s been around for months. Netflix doesn’t seem to be taking advantage of the streaming experience: Stadia-style cloud gaming functionality or xCloud doesn’t seem to be planned. In July, Netflix hired former EA manager Mike Verdo to lead its gaming division. Verdu has gained essential experience in mobile gaming.
Netflix Gaming can be compared to subscriptions from Google (Play Pass), Apple (Apple Arcade), and Microsoft (Xbox Game Pass). The decision against cloud gaming also means that the choice of titles is likely to depend heavily on the platform: iOS devices sometimes have different apps than Android phones. It’s questionable whether Netflix can even offer games on smart TVs, for example.
On mobile platforms, Netflix also has competition from the operators themselves: Google Play Pass and Apple’s Arcade offer game subscriptions to their respective stores. In return, a Netflix game subscription will be “free”: anyone who has already subscribed to Netflix for movies and series will receive the games at no additional cost. When will the service start internationally open?
(Immolate)