Netflix has just revealed some interesting plans for its gaming division that enunciates what makes it different from Apple Arcade — and what Apple could learn from it.
As reported by gaming website Eurogamer, Netflix has 80 games in development, with one to be added every month to Netflix’s Stories section. It is unclear right now how many of these games are unrelated to the Stories section.
That Stories name is a new type of game for Netflix, focused on interactive decisions and storytelling. Much closer to the likes of a visual novel in scope, they are smaller projects where players make choices and watch a story unfold in front of them. They all tie into existing Netflix projects like Love is Blind, Perfect Match, and Virgin River.
In the FQ2 2024 earnings call, Co-CEO Gregory Peters, said “We're refining our program to do more of what is working with the 80-plus games that we currently have in development. And one of those things that really is working is connecting our members with games based on specific Netflix IP that they love.”
How does this differ from Apple Arcade?
There are two central ways Netflix’s new plan differs from Apple Arcade’s business model. The first is Netflix’s relation to supplemental material. You don’t need a subscription to Apple TV Plus and don’t need to have seen the best shows on Apple TV Plus to play the best Apple Arcade games. However, this is mostly the case in Netflix’s games division. Fundamentally, it is additive to the movie and TV subscription service, and not its own separate service. There are some great games like Dead Cells but most of the games are so casual as to not require a huge investment of time or are directly related to the most popular shows.
Secondly, Netflix’s original release schedule seems incredibly consistent. As well as getting other games occasionally, the plan for the foreseeable future is to launch a Netflix Stories game at least once a month.
I have many problems with Netflix’s business model (as I articulated earlier this week) but this consistency is pretty great, and something Apple Arcade could benefit from. Apple Arcade subscribers tend to get 1-3 games at the start of every month but they are inconsistent in genres and many of them aren’t original or exclusive to the service. Someone who likes Netflix Stories will always get something to play, which can’t be played anywhere else. With Apple Arcade, you are often left playing “new games” which are essentially older games revamped, like the recently released Tomb of the Mask+.
However, I don’t want an Apple Arcade Stories division. I’m not looking to play a choose-your-own-adventure Ted Lasso game (though there are worse candidates). I like that Apple Arcade games stand on their own two feet, I just wish they were more consistent in the process.
