Polish Netflix Users Access Mobile Games in the Android App

It was just recently that Netflix articulated its intention to enter the mobile gaming industry, and it didn’t take long for the first results. This week, Netflix subscribers in Poland can access the first two games in the official Netflix app for Android. And this is just what’s been predicted.

The first two titles are (surprise for anyone?) based on Netflix’s IP. These titles are Stranger Things 3” and “Stranger Things: 1984,” games set in the same universe as the eponymous TV series. As for other upcoming games, none of them have been announced so far, though Netflix can simply purchase already existing titles. 

Not that these games are exclusive for the store. Both have been long before available on Android, as well as on iOS, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. More than that: though the games are now available through links in the Netflix app, users still have to go to Google Play Market and install them from there. Then, when the games are installed, a player needs to enter their Netflix credentials to log in and access the content.

The games can be launched either from the home screen or by tapping links within the Netflix app. This integration seems superficial so far, but later it can grow into something more organic. For example, when the list of titles grows longer, Netflix will introduce a recommendation system that offers games the user may probably like, based on the user’s preferences in both video content and games. For sure, such a system is already under construction.

What else is known about the upcoming Netflix gaming experience is that the games in it will be free and ad-free. It’s quite logical because that’s what Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass offer. Competing with this will require learning from the best, as well as from Netflix’s own collected data. What starts now in Poland may become one of the biggest battles in the gaming industry.