Netflix’s foray into gaming is dead on arrival — at least according to the latest headlines about the company’s first few mobile games.
“Less than 1 percent of Netflix’s subscribers are playing its games,” declared Engadget recently. The article was referencing data from app analytics company Astoria, which estimated that on any given day, only around 1.7 million people were playing Netflix’s mobile games on average.
It’s true: Netflix has yet to release a true blockbuster game, and it's small, but growing catalog of mobile games isn’t nearly as popular as some of its biggest shows and movies. However, the company’s gaming efforts are on an upward trajectory, according to data mobile intelligence company Sensor Tower recently shared with Protocol. In fact, July was the best month yet for Netflix’s gaming efforts.
“Netflix is really just at the beginning of implementing its strategy for a new games business, and it’s not off to a bad start,” Sensor Tower mobile insights strategist Craig Ch apple told Protocol. “With an increasing portfolio of globally recognizable entertainment IP, there’s a lot of potential here.”
Netflix itself has kept mum on key aspects of its gaming strategy, but the company’s acquisitions in this space, and clues found in a number of job listings, suggest it has big plans, which appear to include building its own cloud gaming infrastructure. Ultimately, these plans could make the first few months of Netflix’s gaming initiative, with its relatively modest usage numbers, look like a trial run.
New numbers on Netflix’s gaming initiative
Netflix’s foray into mobile gaming began in earnest in November. Since then, the company has published a little over two dozen games for iOS and Android and has plans to nearly double its games catalog by the end of the year. Since November, the company’s games have been downloaded around 17 million times on iOS and Android, according to Sensor Tower estimates.
Downloads actually declined this spring, but got a significant bump from the release of the latest season of “Stranger Things” on Netflix. The company has acquired and published two “Stranger Things” mobile games, both of which saw a significant boost in downloads after the fourth season of “Stranger Things” premiered on the service in May.
Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game continued to be the two most popular Netflix games in July, followed by Netflix Asphalt Extreme, Altogether, Netflix’s games were downloaded 2.9 million times in July, according to Sensor Tower, making it the best month yet for the company’s gaming efforts.
There are a few things worth noting about these numbers, aside from the fact that they are third-party estimates. Many of the games published by Netflix are actually being re-released, and some already had sizable audiences before the company acquired them, which likely has an impact on the audience the titles are now attracting.
Stranger Things: The Game was published by Bonus XP in October 2017, and accumulated close to 14 million downloads before it became a Netflix title. Asphalt Extremer was published by Gameloft in October 2016, and clocked nearly 40 million downloads before Netflix re-released it, according to Sensor Tower estimates.
Netflix also hasn’t done a whole ‘‘lot’’ of promotion for these games, as Chapple pointed out. “It appears that the company is not investing heavily in user acquisition,” he said. “Large marketing campaigns are typically how the world’s top mobile titles become so popular and successful.”
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