Netflix starts rolling out cloud streaming of games on TVs and PCs

Netflix continues its gaming push by announcing beta testing of its cloud streaming service. The company plans to bring its titles to more devices, including TVs and PCs.

• On August 14, Netflix started a limited beta test of the new feature in Canada and the UK on select TVs. A small number of subscribers will be able to stream two games, Oxenfree and Molehew’s Mining Adventure, from cloud.
• In the next few weeks, people will be able to play these titles on their PCs and Macs through Netflix.com.
• “Our goal has always been to have a game for everyone, and we are working hard to meet members where they are with an accessible, smooth, and ubiquitous service,” the company said.
• Those streaming games on TVs will be able to control them using their phones, while PC and Mac users will be able to use a keyboard and a mouse.

Netflix announced its gaming expansion in 2021 after hiring Mike Verdu, an industry veteran who has worked at Electronic Arts, Oculus, and Zynga. First mobile titles became available on the service in August that year — subscribers could play them with no ads or in-app purchases.

Right now, Netflix’s catalog includes 70 titles, from various mobile adventures and puzzles to acclaimed projects like Into the Breach, Immortality, and Spiritfarer. According to Mobilegamer.biz, these games have generated over 40 million downloads.

As part of its strategy, the company has also acquired several studios, including Next Games, Night School Studio, Spry Fox, and Boss Fight Entertainment.

Last year,  Netflix opened its own US studio led by former Overwatch producer Chacko Sonny. The team is now working on the company’s first-party AAA game built with Unreal Engine. The genre and other details about the project remain undisclosed, but in job postings for Netflix Games Studio, the company mentioned that it plans to build a live service game with social elements and co-op features “that players want to come back to repeatedly.”