Netflix has officially added video games — actual, straight-up video games — to the service today. In case you missed it, Netflix recently hired Mike Verdu as vice president of game development as part of a larger plan to offer video games and later announced that video games would be offered as part of the normal Netflix subscription at no additional cost. What Netflix had not said is when that might happen, but, well, today is the day! But the addition of video games today comes with a rather big catch: it’s currently only in Poland, there are only two video games, and it’s only for Android.
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More specifically, Netflix has added the video games Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game to its service in Poland for subscribers to play on Android mobile devices. Given that this is Netflix after all, it comes as no surprise that the two Stranger Things titles would be in the mix, especially since there was even a time where Netflix was working with Telltale Games before its initial closure on a Stranger Things project. It is also worth noting that this new initiative differs from previous “games” on the service in that those were interactive stories with specific choices presented. That isn’t to say those are also not games, but interactive video is not always the first thing folks think of when they think of video games.
You can check out the details of the Polish rollout, straight from Netflix, below:
Let’s talk Netflix and gaming.
Today members in Poland can try Netflix mobile gaming on Android with two games, Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3. It’s very, very early days and we’ve got a lot of work to do in the months ahead, but this is the first step. https://t.co/yOl44PGY0r
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) August 26, 2021
Here’s what you can expect:
– No ads
– No in-app purchases
– Games included with your Netflix membershipWe’ll keep you updated as we explore what gaming looks like on Netflix. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/IvoEw4sTgQ
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) August 26, 2021
As noted above, it is currently unclear when Netflix might expand this initiative beyond Poland. Only two video games, Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game, are currently available via Netflix in Poland. You can check out all of our previous coverage of Netflix right here.
What do you think about Netflix officially adding video games to the service? Are you looking forward to seeing what sorts of titles that Netflix might add next? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!
