Netflix has announced that it has 40 games slated for launch this year and has 70 in development with its partners. The company also has 16 games currently being developed by its in-house game studios. Netflix launched games in November 2021 and has released 55 titles since then.
The streaming service says it’s committed to building out its games portfolio and will be bringing Ustwo’s Monument Valley franchise to its platform, starting with Monument Valley 1 and Monument Valley 2, with more to come. In a briefing with reporters, Ustwo CEO María Sayans confirmed that the Netflix versions of the games won’t be different than the currently available versions, and that they will include no in-app purchases.
We understand Ustwo will continue to offer the standalone premium downloads of its Monument Valley games alongside the free versions for Netflix members, as well as the versions offered through Apple and Google’s subscription offerings, Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass.
Netflix also announced that Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace, a rogue-lite game set in the universe some may remember from The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, will be launching on April 18. The game, which is from Ubisoft, features an improved formula, deepened narrative, and upgraded frantic action gameplay. The launch is part of Netflix’s partnership with Ubisoft and is the second of three exclusive games from the developer to be released on Netflix. The first exclusive game, Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, launched in January.
In addition, Netflix teased that it’s working with Super Evil Megacorp, the developer behind Vainglory and Catalyst Black, on an exclusive game based on an upcoming Netflix release. The company did not provide any further details.
Netflix VP of External Games Leanne Loombe told reporters during a briefing that the company is primarily focused on mobile, but that it’s working on its own cloud streaming technology, as was revealed by Netflix VP of Gaming Mike Verdu at TechCrunch Disrupt last October.
“We are primarily focused on mobile today,” Loombe said. “We are still very early in our journey and learning what kind of games our members are looking to play. We did announce towards the end of last year that we are working on our own cloud streaming technology, so that is underway. Again, we are very early in that side of our journey, but we are committed to making sure that games can be played wherever you have Netflix. We do believe that cloud gaming will enable us to provide that easy access to games on any screen. Our overall vision is that our members can play games on any Netflix device they have.”
As for games launching in March, Netflix revealed that Terra Nil, a game from South African developer Free Lives, will be available on March 28. Terra Nil is a reverse city-builder where players transform a lifeless landscape into a thriving, vibrant ecosystem. Highwater, a strategy game with themes of social collapse and environmental disaster from Serbian developer Demagog Studio, launched on the platform earlier this month.
Loombe outlined that Netflix’s goal is to offer games that cater to all of its subscribers, and that the streaming service plans to do this by building out a selection of games that serve each of its members, whether they’re regular gamers or don’t game at all.
“Just like we did with the streaming side of Netflix, we are building this curated portfolio with extremely talented external developers because we want to achieve that variety and that diversity within the portfolio of games,” Loombe said. “And whilst we’re doing that our internal studios are hard at work building their games. As we know these games take some time to develop. We are taking that two-pronged approach with both game development and also the curation of the game portfolio for our members.”
Although Loombe didn’t disclose how many of Netflix’s 230 million subscribers are playing games on the platform, she noted that the company is happy with its progress so far and that Netflix believes it will see more progress as it adds more games over time.
Comment