The Netflix Game Controller app is now available on the Apple App Store. As the app description states, it allows you to use your iPhone or iPad as a controller for games that are "coming soon to Netflix." The platform's management has not yet specified exact dates.
In October of last year, Netflix's Vice President of Games, Mike Verdu, mentioned that the company was "exploring cloud gaming." He also announced the opening of a second gaming studio in Southern California, headed by Chacko Sonny, the former executive producer of Overwatch at Blizzard Entertainment. It's noteworthy that the company has no plans to compete with giants like PlayStation or Xbox. Instead, they aim to create "added value" without replacing consoles, following a completely different business model. According to Mr. Verdu, the now-defunct Google Stadia cloud service had excellent technological solutions but couldn't survive due to a flawed business model.
Netflix is also including free games in its video streaming subscriptions. The company plans to release 40 games this year alone, with 16 of them being developed by the company's own studios and 70 by partners. The plans to open a catalog of cloud games for smart TVs, where phones can be used as controllers, were announced in March. By the end of the last quarter, the streaming platform had expanded its customer base by 5.9 million subscribers, bringing the total number to 238.4 million.
The Netflix Gaming Controller app is currently only available for iOS devices. It has not yet been added to the database of the analytics company data.ai, so it's too early to assess the ratings.
