{"id":2154787,"date":"2025-11-13T19:46:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T19:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2154787"},"modified":"2025-11-13T19:46:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T19:46:23","slug":"netflixs-new-era-of-tv-games-starts-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/netflixs-new-era-of-tv-games-starts-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Netflix\u2019s new era of TV games starts now"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Netflix\u2019s next stab at gaming is here. Starting today you\u2019ll be able to play a number of multiplayer party games on your TV using your phone as a controller. To start, Netflix is offering Boggle Party<\/em>, Party Crasher: Fool Your Friends<\/em>, Lego Party<\/em>, Pictionary: Game Night<\/em>, and Tetris Time Warp<\/em>. A social deduction game based on the Knives Out<\/em> series, Dead Man\u2019s Party: A Knives Out Game<\/em>, is also part of this new slate but will launch at a later time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The streaming platform\u2019s approach to gaming has been unfocused, with the company bouncing between being a boutique development studio while also being a platform for premium and exclusive mobile gaming experiences. Offering party games on your TV seems like a better fit \u2014 one that could allow Netflix to finally find its gaming footing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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TV-supported party games have been a long time coming. Netflix announced that it was working on cloud streaming technology for games<\/a> back in 2022 before beta testing began in 2023. Now it\u2019s here, rolling out with multiplayer games that the company hopes will become a new version of family board game night<\/a>. And while it sounds a bit cheesy, it makes sense.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One of Netflix\u2019s new multiplayer titles is a video game-ified version of<\/em> Pictionary.<\/em><\/figcaption>Image: Netflix<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The big video game publishers have acknowledged that their competitors are not only each other but other attention-hoggers like TikTok and Instagram. Netflix, it seems, has cued in on this too. And a great way to keep people on your app \u2014 which is the whole reason Netflix began this gaming initiative \u2014 is to give people something to gather around and do.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Netflix has also shown a bit of savvy in the kind of games it\u2019s offering. This year has seen an explosion of popularity in co-op games<\/a> that have less urgency and more casual cooperation elements to them than a traditional multiplayer game; think Peak<\/em>, not Fortnite<\/em>. The games Netflix is offering are poised to take advantage of that rising trend. Boggle Party<\/em><\/em> and Pictionary: Game Night<\/em><\/em> are video game-ified versions of popular board games, while Tetris Time Warp<\/em><\/em> and Lego Party<\/em><\/em> are just good old-fashioned video games based on widely known properties made easily accessible, no console required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Netflix\u2019s gaming initiative has had a few fits and starts and was primarily focused on mobile gaming. Starting in 2021 it began acquiring video game studios, including Oxenfree<\/em> developer Night School<\/a> and Spry Fox<\/a>, makers of the Cozy Grove<\/em> game series. It also spun up its own studio \u2014 staffed with game development veterans who worked on Overwatch<\/em>, Halo<\/em>, and God of War<\/em><\/a> \u2014 with designs of making its own AAA console game. Alongside that, Netflix was the exclusive mobile home for a number of critically acclaimed games, including Monument Valley<\/em>, Poinpy<\/em>, and Hades<\/em>. With these offerings, Netflix seemed to signal that it wanted its gaming initiative to appeal to more than the casual set.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Netflix was the only place to play <\/em>Hades on mobile, but it was later removed from the service.<\/em><\/figcaption>Image: Netflix<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But then, mirroring wider trends in the gaming industry, Netflix began shutting studios down. In 2024, it closed the AAA studio<\/a> before it could release or even announce the game it was working on. Earlier this year, the streamer shut down another of its subsidiaries<\/a>, Boss Fight Entertainment, shortly after releasing Squid Game: Unleashed<\/em>, a game Netflix frequently praised for its popularity<\/a>. Most of those critically acclaimed games are gone too, with Netflix removing a number of third-party titles from its service<\/a>, which seemed to catch some games\u2019 developers by surprise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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All these events seem to indicate Netflix\u2019s current approach to gaming wasn\u2019t working out. The things the streamer was throwing at the wall weren\u2019t sticking (or at least weren\u2019t sticking enough to justify the expense). An interview with Alain Tascan, president of Netflix games, confirmed as much. \u201cWe need to find our voice,\u201d he said to The Verge <\/em>earlier this year<\/a>, sharing that the strategy going forward would be to \u201creadjust and focus on fewer areas with more intention.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe need to find our voice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Tascan described four areas of focus: games for kids, narrative games tied to Netflix IP, games that have large, widespread appeal, and multiplayer party games. Netflix already has the first three, and with cloud multiplayer gaming, the final component has arrived. This refocus reflects similar moves over at Apple Arcade<\/a> and Amazon\u2019s game service Luna<\/a>, which also started out with big-name titles and ambitions before switching to more casual offerings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Netflix clearly wants to transform its perception from a streaming service into something more. In addition to all these traditional gaming offerings, it\u2019s also tooling around with daily puzzle games<\/a> and interactive events<\/a> akin to game shows \u2014 complete with cash prizes \u2014 to keep people on the Netflix wheel beyond just watching TV. With these games, Netflix is no longer where people go to watch KPop Demon Hunters<\/em> for the 57th time, but something that\u2019s trying to be a daily fixture in its users\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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