I’ve said it on more than one occasion, I think the move Netflix has made to differentiate itself from its competitors by including access to its catalog of games to its subscribersis an interesting measure and if applied well can have a big impact. Since it was publicly revealed in May 2021 that the Netflix video game thing would become literal, quite a bit of anticipation has been built around the project.

Four months later, in September, the feature debuted here, and well, The proposal showed the way, but was very limited in content and scope (initially they were only available on Android). Over time, the catalog grew and so did the scope of the service, they even scored a great point by including Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, and in a version that those who tested it said is much more refined than the one Rockstar released for PC last year.

However, the service numbers are not very positive because According to various sources, only about 1% of Netflix subscribers use game subscriptions. A subscription that comes with a content streaming service without having to pay extra. And, of course, it is not possible to employ her even independently. And these numbers are food for thought because it is no longer a novelty since more than two years have passed since its debut.

The company could take some measures to encourage its use, but as we can read in PhoneArena, everyone would say that its intention is the opposite, and that Netflix is ​​studying adding ads and in-app purchases to its games, for this service to generate some kind of economic return. And there’s no doubt that Netflix is ​​making more than a significant investment in its gaming service offerings.

I understand the need to monetize it, more could be done, but in the current situation where 99 out of 100 users don’t use the service, it doesn’t seem like these types of measures can serve to increase its popularity. and get more people to use it. Free games, but tons of them with advertising and in-app purchases, and many of them are excellent, just a few days ago we recommended no less than 40 for PC. So if the gaming experience on Netflix is ​​no longer what subscription services like Xbox Game Pass, Apple Arcade or Play Pass offer, doesn’t the proposition lose much of its value? Personally and for their sake and their users I hope they don’t, I think it would be a big mistake and it would ostracize their game service.