Netflix finally streams video games, too

Netflix is ​​kicking off the first public tests of its cloud-streamed games. Starting Monday, some Netflix subscribers in Canada and the UK will be able to watch Netflix games streamed on select TVs, connected TV devices and on the web from netflix.com.

In a blog postNetflix VP of Gaming Mike Verdu characterized this as a “limited beta test” for a “small number of members”, so not all subscribers in Canada and the UK will get it right away. But as small as this initial release is, it marks a potentially huge moment for Netflix’s gaming ambitions.

The company first launched its mobile game offerings as a free benefit for subscribers in November 2021. Until now, the company’s titles have only been available on iOS and Android. By bringing games to TVs and web browsers via cloud streaming, subscribers will be able to play Netflix titles in many more places, and it also means Netflix could start competing for gaming time on TVs and PCs.

The two games available right now are the first oxen free (made by Night School Studio, which is now owned by Netflix) and a new title, Molehew’s Mining Adventurewhich Verdu describes as a “gem mining arcade game”.

When you play games on TV, you will control the games using your smartphone. On Android, the controller will be accessible through the Netflix app, while on iOS, you’ll need to download a special controller app, says spokeswoman Chrissy Kelleher. the edge. (Yes, the one that mysteriously appeared on the App Store last week.) If you have access to the games on the web, you will play them with a mouse and keyboard.

Here are the connected TVs and TV devices that will support Netflix games for now:

Verdu promises that more devices will be added “on an ongoing basis.”

I haven’t tried any of the Netflix streaming games, so I can’t vouch for what it’s actually like to play them. Given Netflix’s long experience in streaming video, I suspect things are going pretty well. But any streaming problem will feel much more annoying in a video game than while watching an episode of Strange things.

Even if there are some hiccups, I bet Netflix is ​​okay with that; He’s clearly starting small to give himself room to work out any initial issues. And since Netflix sees cloud gaming as “value-add,” which is closer to Microsoft’s approach than Google’s failed strategy for Stadia, I bet they don’t need cloud gaming to work perfectly right out of the box. . Netflix subscribers can always fall back on any of their 70 mobile games if they want.