Katarzyna Petru
LEGO, Tetris and party classics in the new “Games” tab. Netflix is finally entering the television gaming market – but we’re not talking about AAA console productions here. Instead, the platform is focusing on party games that we can launch directly from the Netflix app on a Smart TV or media streaming device. Controls? All you need is… a phone.
Friday Night Style Games
As Netflix announces:
“This holiday season, you’ll be able to switch from Kpop Demon Hunters to party games for the whole family, all without leaving Netflix. We’re creating a completely new way to play — as easy as watching a series on a Friday night. All you need is Netflix and your phone.”
A new tab “Games” will appear later this year in the Netflix app on televisions, and the first five games are set to liven up any house party.
The first 5 Netflix games for TVs:
LEGO® Party! – party competition in the world of LEGO. Mini-games, gold races, and themed challenge zones.
Boggle Party – find as many words as possible in a jumble of letters. Play alone or with up to eight friends.
Pictionary: Game Night – a classic reimagined. Draw and guess at lightning speed.
Tetris Time Warp – a journey through various eras of the iconic Tetris – from the 1984 version to Game Boy.
Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends – one player has no idea what’s going on. Can you uncover them?
Netflix Games – the next step after mobile
So far, Netflix has offered mobile games on iOS and Android, but for several years it has been experimenting with cloud gaming – that is, gaming in the cloud without downloads. Tests are ongoing in several countries, including in Poland, and involve devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, LG webOS, Roku, Samsung Tizen, Nvidia Shield, and Vizio Smart TV.
The company announces further expansion of the list of supported devices and markets.
“This is just the beginning — stay tuned for more announcements and get ready for some fun together on Netflix.”
Games on Netflix — as easy as watching a series
Netflix doesn’t want to compete with consoles – it wants to take a place in the heart of home entertainment, where friends and family come together. If the concept takes off, gaming on the television could become as natural as turning on the next episode of a favourite series.
