Netflix is expanding its gaming offerings beyond iOS and Android devices to include TVs and computers. The streaming giant has begun publicly testing its game library on various platforms, allowing a limited number of subscribers in the UK and Canada to access games on select devices.
Mike Verdu, Netflix’s vice-president of games, stated that the company aims to make games accessible on every device where its members enjoy content. The initial testing phase will include just two games: “Oxenfree” and “Molehew’s Mining Adventure.” This testing is currently available on devices like Amazon Fire TV streaming media players, Chromecast with Google TV, LG TVs, NVIDIA Shield TV, Roku devices and TVs, Samsung smart TVs, and Walmart ONN.
To play Netflix games on a TV, users need to use a controller app recently released by the company. When selecting a game, a QR code will be displayed on the TV screen. Users can scan the code with their phone to use it as a controller. Additionally, Netflix plans to make the games available for testing on its website through supported desktop browsers, allowing control via keyboard and mouse on PCs and Macs.
The purpose of this testing phase is to assess the functionality of Netflix’s game streaming technology and the newly released controller app. It’s important to note that the availability of games on different platforms could be affected by complex rights agreements with various publishers. Some games might remain exclusive to specific platforms due to these agreements.
While only a few games are part of this testing phase, the expansion of Netflix’s gaming offerings to TVs and computers marks the company’s entry into the cloud gaming space. By utilizing its streaming technology, Netflix aims to provide a seamless and accessible gaming experience to its subscribers on a variety of devices.
