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Inside an office in Hollywood, not far from the Walk of Fame and the Sunset Bronson Studios, Netflix executive Alain Tascan revealed new content coming soon to the platform \u2014 but it\u2019s not a TV show or a movie. It\u2019s a new game where U.S. viewers compete to win thousands of dollars. <\/p>\n
The game show, called \u201cBest Guess Live,\u201d will run on weekdays at 5 p.m. PT, where hosts Howie Mandel and Hunter March will unveil a set of five clues. Mobile game players tune in to make their best guesses. The earlier they can guess correctly with fewer clues, the higher the chances they can win more of the prize money. The show, filmed in Van Nuys, is Netflix\u2019s attempt at appointment gaming for its audience of more than 700 million viewers.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you imagine where you not only can go and play a game, but you could win a life-changing amount of money each and every day, and it takes no time, it\u2019s easy, and you just have your phone?\u201d said Mandel, widely known for his hosting turns on NBC\u2019s \u201cDeal or No Deal\u201d and \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent.\u201d <\/p>\n
The goal is to make playing games on Netflix \u201cas simple as streaming a movie on a Friday, using the same innovative mindset that led Netflix to transform itself from a company shipping DVDs to streaming movies, shows and now games,\u201d Tascan said. <\/p>\n
Netflix has been investing in its games vertical for the last four years, with mixed results. Last month, the streamer\u2019s co-CEO Greg Peters gave the company\u2019s gaming efforts a B- grade<\/a>. Under Tascan\u2019s leadership, the division has focused on some key areas, including narratives based on Netflix programs, games for children, social party games and mainstream titles like \u201cGrand Theft Auto.\u201d <\/p>\n The changes appear to be working. The number of downloads for Netflix games has increased 17% to 74.8 million from January to October of this year compared to the same period in 2024, according to data from app analytics firm Appfigures. The company is also releasing fewer games, adding 16 titles this year compared to 35 last year, Appfigures said. <\/p>\n Netflix declined to comment on the Appfigures data.<\/p>\n The company has also removed games in part due to low customer engagement. Netflix has released 142 games, with 78 of them still active as of October, according to Appfigures. <\/p>\n Its two most popular mobile games were released on Netflix in the last two years, including \u201cGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas,\u201d which came on the platform in December 2023 and achieved 44 million downloads. The streamer released an original, the multiplayer party royale title \u201cSquid Game: Unleashed,\u201d last year with 21 million downloads. The game had tie-ins to the popular series\u2019 second season where players could earn cash or wild tokens in the game if they watched a certain number of episodes. <\/p>\n Some analysts say there is still room for improvement.<\/p>\n Journalists participate in a games demo at a Netflix office on Wednesday.<\/p>\n (Netflix)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n \u201cIt still seems pretty experimental,\u201d said Ross Benes, senior analyst at research firm Emarketer. \u201cI don\u2019t get the impression that they are on gamers\u2019 list of their go-to sources of entertainment.\u201d <\/p>\n On Thursday, Netflix said its first slate of five game<\/a>s for the TV, including Tetris Time Warp, Boggle Party, Pictionary: Game Night and LEGO Party! are now available. Prior to the new slate, subscribers could only play Netflix games on their mobile devices. <\/p>\n When consumers load up the TV games, they will see a QR code they can scan on their devices and use them as controllers in the game. For example in Netflix\u2019s version of Pictionary, users draw on their phones. <\/p>\n \u201cA big switch in the strategy is really to make sure that we are eliminating any friction that somebody can encounter when they want to play,\u201d Tascan said in an interview. \u201cWe believe that on TV, in particular, where people enjoy their different shows, is the best place to offer something very easily approachable.\u201d<\/p>\n The TV games are the latest iteration in Netflix\u2019s effort that began four years ago. The company had beefed up its staff after acquiring four gaming businesses \u2014 Glendale-based Night School<\/a>, Boss Fight Entertainment out of Allen, Texas, Finland-based Next Games and Spry Fox based in Seattle. <\/p>\n Netflix shut down Boss Fight Entertainment last month.<\/p>\n The gaming division efforts were first led by Mike Verdu, a former Facebook and Electronic Arts executive. He later transitioned to a role focusing on transforming game development and player experiences with generative AI in November 2024 and left Netflix earlier this year. Tascan, a former executive at Epic Games, was named Netflix\u2019s president of games in July 2024. <\/p>\n Games has been an attractive area of investment for some companies, as younger audiences spend a lot of time playing titles like Roblox, Fortnite and Call of Duty. Tascan estimates there are 3 billion gamers in the world and with Netflix having an audience of more than 700 million people, \u201cthe Venn diagram is pretty large.\u201d <\/p>\n The streamer on Thursday also announced new mobile games for kids, including digital coloring book \u201cBarbie Color Creations\u201d and a hairstyling game, \u201cToca Boca Hair Salon 4.\u201d <\/p>\n