With their subscriptions, Netflix subscribers have been able to download tons of mobile games for the past two years. More than 75 Netflix mobile games are available, including Grand Theft Auto, Love Is Blind, Monument Valley and Oxenfree.
It has been reported that Netflix may explore ways to generate revenue from its gaming business.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the company has been discussing ways to make money from its games for months now, including in-app purchases, charging premium titles more, and placing ads on games subscribers to its ad tier have access to. With consumers expected to spend $111.4 billion on mobile games by 2024, these methods are common (and effective) in the mobile gaming world.
Netflix appeared to shut down the idea of ads and in-game payments during an earnings call in April 2023, so the company may pivot away from monetizing games.
In his speech to investors, Netflix’s co-CEO stated that the company intends to offer players a differentiated gaming experience, which means game developers can design games solely from the perspective of player enjoyment, without thinking about monetization through ads or in-game payments.
After losing thousands of subscribers in 2022, Netflix reversed its decision to launch an ad-supported tier and crack down on password sharing.
As the streamer’s growth stagnated at the beginning of 2023, 3% of its workforce were laid off as a result, making the move to monetize games a logical move. Additionally, Netflix recently raised the premium plan’s price, to $22.99 per month for new U.S. subscribers.
Netflix recently announced a job opportunity in 2022 for an AAA game director to lead the development of a high-end PC game. As per the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), producing AAA games can cost upwards of $200 million. In accordance with a report by WSJ, Netflix is considering implementing a pay-to-play model for its upcoming expensive games, which experts estimate has already resulted in the company using around billion towards purchasing gaming studios and advancing its gaming division.
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