NETFLIX NOW OFFERS MOBILE GAMES IN SOME EUROPEAN MARKETS

Following a report by TechCrunch, Netflix subscribers in the countries of Spain, Italy, and Poland will be able to access three new games beginning today: Shooting Hoops, Teeter Up, and Card Blast. Users in these regions will be able to access the titles through a new ‘Games’ tab in the Netflix app, which will only be available on Android devices.

Netflix users will not be required to pay an additional fee in order to access games. Aside from that, the games added today will not include advertisements or in-app purchases, which is in line with Netflix’s previously detailed mobile game strategy.

For Netflix, this project is still in the early stages of development. In a statement released earlier this summer, the streaming behemoth stated, “We believe the time is right to learn more about how our members value games.” For the time being, the company is concentrating on mobile games and interactive television shows in the vein of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, among other things.

Subscribers with Android devices were previously able to access an early version of this service in Poland, thanks to a partnership with Netflix. In the beginning, Stranger Things: The Game and Stranger Things 3: The Game were included in the library.

Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Netflix was reaching out to industry veterans to assist the company with its expansion into the video game industry. As a result, they hired veteran video game executive Mike Verdu, who was previously with Sony Computer Entertainment, as Vice President of Game Development at Netflix.

Netflix has expressed an interest in video game properties on the television side of things as well. Following the success of season one of The Witcher, Netflix is now investing in shows based on popular video game franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Assassin’s Creed, Resident Evil, and others, according to Variety.