Netflix Expands Gaming to Smart TVs, Beta Testing in UK and Canada
Netflix, the popular streaming platform, is making a bold move into the gaming industry by expanding its video games offering to new devices, specifically select smart TVs. This exciting development comes as Netflix enters the beta testing phase of its gaming initiative in the United Kingdom and Canada.
While Netflix has already ventured into the gaming world with the launch of mobile games in November 2021, this is the first time that subscribers will be able to enjoy playing video games on their television screens. The initial beta testing will be conducted on a limited number of TV devices, including Amazon Fire TV streaming media players, Chromecast with Google TV, LG TVs, Nvidia Shield TV, Roku devices and TVs, Samsung Smart TVs, and Walmart ONN.
During the beta testing phase, two games will be available for participants to try out. The first game, Oxenfree, is developed by Night School Studio, a studio owned by Netflix. The second game is Molehew’s Mining Adventure, an arcade-style gem-mining game.
To play these games on their TVs, users will utilize their smartphones as controllers. Additionally, Netflix subscribers who use PCs and Macs will have the opportunity to play games for the first time using a keyboard and mouse.
Mike Verdu, Vice President of games at Netflix, explained in a blog post that this limited beta is designed to test the game streaming technology and controller, allowing Netflix to continually enhance the member experience.
Despite downplaying its ambitions in the gaming industry publicly, Netflix has been making strategic investments in this space. The streaming giant has acquired Night School Studio based in California, as well as Next Games in Helsinki, Finland, and Boss Fight Entertainment in Texas. Furthermore, Netflix has established its own studios in California and Finland. These moves underscore their belief in the significant opportunities that gaming presents, potentially bringing in a vast new audience to the platform.
Verdu expressed their goals by stating, By making games available on more devices, we hope to make games even easier to play for our members around the world.
Netflix acknowledges that they are still in the early stages of their journey into gaming but remains excited about bringing joy to their members through interactive experiences. They look forward to receiving feedback from beta testers and sharing further developments as they continue on this path.
This expansion of gaming to smart TVs demonstrates Netflix’s commitment to staying at the forefront of the entertainment industry. By broadening their gaming offerings and making it accessible on popular devices, they are catering to the global demand for interactive entertainment experiences.
