Netflix putting ads in its games could be the final nail in the coffin
It was recently announced that Netflix is reportedly considering putting ads in their games to help gain additional revenue.
06th Jan 2024 21:09
Images via Netflix
Netflix putting ads in its games could be the final nail in the coffin
It was recently announced that Netflix is reportedly considering putting ads in their games to help gain additional revenue.
06th Jan 2024 21:09
Images via Netflix
It was recently announced that Netflix is reportedly considering putting ads in their games to help gain additional revenue.
While Netflix’s gaming offering has expanded considerably since it was first introduced in November 2021, it has not become as widespread as you may think, with many users seemingly not even knowing that games are available on the streaming service.
Netflix is considering putting ads on its games
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Netflix has started thinking about how the company could increase revenue from its gaming offerings.
While currently the only monetisation that comes from the service’s games is the subscription fees, some of the other options that have been considered are micro-transactions, ads, and premium charges for some games.
The WSJ stressed in its report that these are currently only internal discussions which may never be implemented, however it marks a clear shift in the way the platform’s games operate.
Could adverts see the death of Netflix games?
Netflix’s gaming was introduced more than two years ago but has not taken off in the way that may be expected considering the size of the platform.
A report from October 2023 suggested that an average of 1.7 million people play Netflix games each day, which is less than 1% of Netflix’s users.
It is also not uncommon to see people asking, “wait, Netflix has games?” under any posts where the service is mentioned.
While there are some great titles on Netflix gaming, including Oxenfree, Death’s Door and Storyteller, the introduction of paid games or adverts makes the majority of the service no better than the mobile app store.
The introduction of adverts, in-game purchases and paid games would certainly move away from the current model, in which anyone with a subscription can play whatever they want.
With so few subscribers currently interacting with Netflix gaming, it will be interesting to see if the implementation of these changes, if they do ever come into being, could negatively impact the already fairly low numbers even more.
About The Author
Megan Cooke
Megan is GGRecon's Evening & Weekend News Writer. She has an undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and is working towards finishing her masters in Journalism. When she isn’t writing about games she can be found reading romance novels or playing cosy games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, APICO, and Disney Dreamlight Valley.
