Netflix Games: Nothing Netflix-y About It, Yet. OTT Giant Really Needs To Up Its Gaming Ante

Netflix must work on its games and bring something just as entertaining and binge-worthy as some of its series and movies. Its interface needs to first acknowledge the existence of gaming.

Netflix recently stepped into the gaming arena and launched Netflix Games.

By Akriti Rana and Nimish Dubey

Netflix is a mammoth of a name in the streaming business and the brand is now hoping to bring a similar sized success in its latest venture — gaming. 

Netflix recently stepped into the gaming arena and launched Netflix Games, which are basically games one can play on their mobile phones by logging in to one's Netflix account. The venture promises some new, unique Netflix-bound games and some other popular games on the platform that can be played without any intrusion from disturbing ads or any in-app purchases. 

Sounds good, right? Well, while Netflix might be getting into gaming, the only problem is gaming does not seem to be really getting ‘into’ Netflix. 

And no, we are not being harsh. 

Gaming is a mean, cut-throat affair with no real room for any slacking off. But the way Netflix has approached it so far seems so…casual. And that seems odd when you consider it is stepping into a zone which is not just crowded but extremely competitive. 

Nothing Netflix-y About It

This is quite evident in the way in which Netflix has incorporated gaming into its being. And the problem is, it really has not done so. There is hardly anything Netflix-y about the way Netflix Games work.

When Netflix Games was introduced the idea was that a separate tab for games would be present in the Netflix app itself which would take you to games, much like there is for movies and shows. 

But even after a month of being launched, we are still to see that option in our Netflix apps in India. There is no drop down list or menu from which you can see which games are available on the app. You cannot just go to the app, browse through games and  play them. 

Instead, if you wish to access or install any of these Netflix games, you have to go to your respective app stores (Google Play or iTunes App Store) and search for Netflix Games, which is basically how you search for any other game. 

And you have to see through the search results that come up quite carefully because even some non-Netflix games sneak in there at times. 

Even if you manage to make your way through this process, after downloading a Netflix Game, the only remotely Netflix-ish thing about the whole affair is that you have to log into your Netflix account to get to play the games. The games are not played on the Netflix app itself. Something as simple as a list of games in the Netflix app and games being played (just like shows being watched) would have made the complete experience so much simpler and convenient. 

Not Much Quantity, Not Much Quality Either

When a giant like Netflix introduces something new, one expects it to start with a bang.

Unfortunately, the Netflix gaming situation has been quite low-key from the get go. When Netflix introduced Netflix Games, there were just five titles up its sleeve, which was a little disappointing. Promises were made that the content streaming wiz will keep expanding its gaming library. 

Now, it has been a month since Netflix Games was introduced, and only two more games have been added to the list. Let alone starting with a bang, this does not even seem to be approaching a whisper any time soon. 

We wish we could say “What Netflix lacks in quantity, it makes up for it in quality”, but sadly even that is not the case. 

In total there are six games — Stranger Things: 1984 , Stranger Things 3: The Game, Shooting Hoops, Card Blast, Teeter Up, Bowling Ballers, and Asphalt Xtreme. We are not saying that these games are bad. Actually they are quite good, and some of them have been around for a while (although they are now available only to Netflix members). Good enough to keep you entertained when you need to pass some time.

But how good is ‘quite good’ when you have games around that are great? Whether it is casual games like Candy Crush, Temple Run, Subway Surfer  or high-end games like Call of Duty, PUBG or Battlegrounds Mobile India, mobile gaming has no shortage of iconic and addictive titles. One does not play these games just to pass time but makes time to play these games. 

Now, while the list of Netflix Games is pretty decent, it does not really have a star which can create a buzz that even comes close to the ones that rule the mobile gaming world.  

Some of the games are not even based on Netflix content — ironically, none of the games based even on Squid Games are available on the platform that made the series famous!

‘No Ads, No-In-App Purchases’ Is Cool, But Not Enough

What Netflix Games currently offers is an ad-free and no-in-app purchase gaming experience.

While we appreciate that, we do not think that alone is enough to lure users into going to Netflix specifically for playing these games. 

This is because of a simple reason: contrary to popular belief that gamers cannot and will not put up with even the slightest disturbance during their gaming sessions, it has been proved over and over that if the game is good (and we mean really good), users will not only put with annoying ads that pop every now and then but will even make peace with random crashes or complete breakdowns. 

Yes, that might sound but is actually true — witness how gamers have patiently put up with the issues plaguing PUBG: New State. We have also not really seen users getting motivated to play a game simply because it has no ads or any in-app purchases.

This leaves Netflix Games with basically just one more plus point: the fact that one does not have to pay anything “extra” to get their hands on these games. If you have a Netflix subscription, you can play any of the Netflix Games out there — which are right now all of seven (not a high number!). 

Apple had started its gaming service, Apple Arcade, with a much stronger suit of games. 

Given this scenario, we do think Netflix needs to up the ante if it does not want to fade into the gaming background, something which can happen pretty quickly. The brand needs to not only work on its games and bring us something just as entertaining and binge-worthy as some of its series and movies but also needs to overhaul its interface,which does not even seem to acknowledge the existence of gaming at the time of writing. Otherwise it could literally be game over for the OTT giant.