As Netflix finally debuts its first release of video games, we see how the global entertainment company leverages its patented technologies, security controls, content and more as it powers the new medium of interactive content.
If you, like us, have been waiting for Netflix to finally drop some video games, you’ll be pretty excited that that day has arrived.
This global rollout — announced in an official company blog post by Mike Verdu, vice president of game development (formerly Electronic Arts, Zynga, Kabam and Facebook) — followed months of testing in Poland, Italy and Spain following the company’s announcement in July. after.
(Sign up for TODAY’s Cache, our technology newsletter, for insights on emerging topics at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.)
we are very happy Most of our predictions made in July Were right: no production of any native gaming hardware for games using native titles, an Apple Arcade-like subscription model where games are downloaded to the device, and – most importantly – the use of the company’s patented adaptive streaming technology. implementation.
Starting from 3rd November (India), Android users can play five mobile games everywhereStranger Things: 1984 (BonusXP), Stranger Things 3: The Game (BonusXP), Shooting Hoops (Frosty Pop), Card Blast (Amujo and Rogue Games), and Teeter Up (Frosty Pop). It makes sense that Netflix would start out with a small pool of games in various play-styles to appeal to different audiences: role-playing games, first-person, and basic puzzles. in September, Netflix makes its first developer acquisition with Night School Studios (known for the critically acclaimed Oxenfree) and original titles in the works.
Netflix has clarified that iOS compatibility is “on the way” with a wait time of potentially a few months. It takes longer to get approved for iOS, anyway, we’re sure some optimization is in the works for iPad OS as well.
Just as Netflix said in its July statement about its business model, it has taken an easily adaptable subscription model for gaming, similar to Apple Arcade. Netflix’s business model is free of micro-transactions and ads. All requires an existing subscription – mobile included – no ads, no extra fees and no in-app purchases.
Netflix co-founder and director Reed Hastings gives a speech inaugurating the new offices of Netflix France in Paris. | photo Credit: Christophe Archambault / AFP
Judging by previous statements by CEO Reed Hastings of turning down billion-dollar deals for ads, you can be sure that his gaming section will follow suit.
Content, Streaming and Competition
We’re looking forward to Netflix producing GaaS (Games as a Service) AKA ‘living games’, which are constantly updated with new content. These formats would work well when games were adapted from successful original and ongoing titles, such as the Chris Hemsworth-starrer. extraction (which has a sequel) or the platform’s most-watched series squid game.
They have a leg-up, that is the multilingual aspect, so we look forward to the in-game translation in various Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada. Whether or not Netflix’s adaptive streaming technology should cover for translation load times remains to be seen. This could also mean that Netflix may acquire Indian-domestic developers for adaptations of original titles such as sacred games And Minnal Murali.
Naturally, Netflix games will have varied budgets — both AAA (blockbuster) and indie budgets, depending on the title — but that shouldn’t detract from the overall feel and economics, given Verdu, the company’s still “early days.” is and hopes to “create a library of games that offers something for everyone… Like our series, movies, and specials, we want to design games for any level of play and every kind of player.” whether you’re a beginner or a lifelong gamer.”
Read also | GameSpot: ‘Stranger Things’ mobile game review
It’s worth mentioning that Netflix is now becoming more familiar with video game-to-screen adaptations, such as resident Evil, Castlevania, witcher, of distinction And Dragon’s Dogma. They also began adding in their marquee remakes of classics such as Masters of the Universe: Revelation And He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, it would make for great games where Netflix could co-develop the game with existing movie studios.
Watching Netflix has made waves; It’s likely that game streamers will be keen to rehearse or live-stream their plays. Looking at the app and website if someone tries to make a video recording, the company may have a different streaming option for those who want to create gaming content or review some content without worrying about copyright strikes.
Adaptive Streaming and Product Design
Over the years, the platform’s UX has seen several iterations and improvements, following collaborations between UX designers, accessibility experts, and leadership and competition analysis. The company has never shied away from its constant expressions of love for A/B Testing and Experimental Scales of Deduction and Induction, which include inputs from a large number of test members to find out what works and what doesn’t.
For example, a successful example of product and design innovation are ‘top 10’ lists, which started out as a simple idea and then sprouted into a testable hypothesis to find out how it helped the audience in the overall conversation. improved or not.
As anticipated, Netflix’s patented adaptive streaming technology will be implemented into the gaming experience, especially considering that the company will be the first to dive into mobile gaming. Verdu also confirms, “While some mobile games may require an Internet connection, others will be available for offline play, to make those long trips and areas with poor Wi-Fi more tolerable.”
For Q2 2021, Netflix recorded 27.88 million paid subscriptions in the Asian-Pacific region alone. So given the success of the company’s mobile-only subscription plan in India, and the fact that there are already over 365 million mobile gamers across the country, Netflix has been giving India its first years in interactive entertainment with an in-depth study focus group. as can be assumed. .
That said, adaptive streaming comes in handy. Whereas the average bandwidth supported by the network and the round-trip time (the time it takes to send a signal and the time it takes to receive that signal) are well-known indicators of network quality. Other features like , stability and predictability make a huge difference in video streaming and in this case, gaming.
Adaptive streaming algorithms are responsible for optimizing – rather than prioritizing – which video quality is streamed throughout playback based on the current network and device status in real time. That said, the resulting technology responds to network degradation and growth by taking advantage of machine learning and responding to player commands to achieve consistency while playing content; This means there should be fewer connection glitches and playback delays in response to game controls.
In their August 2021 update of Adaptive Streaming Technology, “This method involves dynamically adjusting the audio quality level of a multimedia streaming connection, while maintaining the video quality level of the multimedia streaming connection at least the specified minimum video quality level.” Is.”
Given the variety of titles coming our way, there will be varying levels of violence, hate speech, nudity in games, so part of the technology upgrade are the ever-present parental controls and Netflix has kept it simple. “We know how important child safety is to the parents, caregivers, and guardians at our service,” writes Verdu. “So these games are not available on the Kids Profile. If you’ve set up a PIN to prevent kids from accessing an adult profile, the same PIN will be needed to log into Netflix and play games on the device. ”
Is Netflix worried about competition? Honestly, they would think about going face-to-face with gaming giants like Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ubisoft, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts.
In its July 21 shareholder letter, the company explains, we see gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original movies, animation and unscripted TV… Almost a decade into our push, we think the time is right to learn more about how our members value games. With a wider set of firms continue to compete for screen time. Just a few names. But, we are mostly competing with ourselves to improve our service as soon as possible. ”
While they may not have the specific goal of becoming a ‘gaming giant’, they clearly want to focus on content detail for the overall product experience – for now, anyway.
.