After dominating TV, Netflix is setting its sights on gaming

“We need to balance having enough variety to offer entertainment for a massive audience, while having enough focus to get really good at the things Netflix can do best,” he said.

“We’re really focused on four key areas where we think we have a competitive advantage.”

He lists those areas as kids games, narrative games, party games and big, recognisable franchises.

The other major roadblock is that Netflix games are not generally available on TVs. You have to download the games from your phone’s app store, and then sign in with your Netflix account. But the wider industry has already been working on a solution to this for years.

The most prominent example is Microsoft’s Game Pass, which lets you install and play the games included in the subscription locally on your console, or stream them from Microsoft’s servers, over the internet to any device. Netflix is already testing similar TV game streaming, with user’s phones acting as the controller, in certain countries.

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Some industry watchers have referred to Game Pass as the Netflix of games, and it’s clear that Tascan wants to reclaim that title.

“We’re not the Netflix of games yet. But that’s exactly where we’re headed. Later this year, you’ll see games roll out on TV in more countries, so we’ll be able to be where 70 per cent of Netflix viewers are,” he said.

“The opportunity for games on TV is growing to scale as latency and broadband improve. Someone’s going to get there soon – why shouldn’t it be Netflix?”

Microsoft already offers streaming Game Pass direct to certain models of TV, but Tascan said 700 million people globally view content through a Netflix app, which could be a huge advantage if game-streaming were turned on with an update.

Of course, existing players including Microsoft and Sony already have access to a huge catalogue of games, but Netflix is eyeing more casual and mainstream markets. It recently announced a cosy open-world life sim from Spry Fox (which it acquired in 2022), which will let many subscribers build homes and villages while hanging out together. Tascan said that the long-term goal was that games on Netflix would be just like films and shows: instantly accessible at any time on any device, and you could pick up where you left off.

“You’ll start to see more of what we’re talking about later this year, but we want to create new kinds of experiences. Using your phone as a controller opens up so many creative doors. Think about swinging a golf club, or a flashlight in a dark, scary space, and combining that innovation with some of our members’ favourite worlds. Think about family game night, couch co-op, party games and experiences only Netflix can make,” he said.

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“Netflix has all the ingredients to drive real disruption and innovation. We want to be the place where creators come to tell stories that transcend mediums. Imagine having all your entertainment, the characters you love, the worlds you know, all in one place, shared with the people you enjoy them with. That’s the future we’re building.”

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