Netflix games in beta testing now, seem underwhelming
TL; DR
- The first Netflix games of the promised mobile gaming platform are being tested in Poland.
- The games must be downloaded from the Play Store. Once that’s done, they can only be started / played through the Netflix app.
- It seems the idea of a Stadia-style streaming service isn’t in the cards, at least not yet.
We have been hoping for a “Netflix of Gaming” for years. We thought it was Stadia, but it wasn’t. Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming comes closest to this, but still has significant limitations. When we found out that Netflix was getting into gaming itself, we thought this was it: the Netflix of gaming.
However, unlike the videos you watch on Netflix, you don’t stream these games. Instead, just tapping a game in the Netflix app takes you to the Google Play Store. There you download the title as usual and then start it from the Netflix app. You cannot start the game as a standalone app.
What this essentially means is that “Netflix Games” is just a glorified game launcher that locks titles within the app. That doesn’t sound so revolutionary to us.
Admittedly, the company admits that this is “very, very early”. It is possible that things could change significantly by the time the service is launched. Still, it doesn’t seem too exciting just yet. However, it’s nice to know that these games are free with your Netflix subscription and don’t have ads or in-app purchases.
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