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Just over two class ago , Netflixannouncedit would enter a new business : gaming . Amid a mobile gambling mart dominated by loose - to - dramatic play and ad - patronage line of work models , Netflix ’s program was to make its game destitute without ads or in - app purchases . The ploy may now be come out to give off . In 2023 , Netflix Games downloads increase by over 180 % class - over - class , fit in to estimates from market intelligence activity firmSensor Tower . In total , the games have been downloaded 81.2 million time worldwide across the App Store and Google Play in 2023 , with the quaternary quarter account for around 53 % of those downloads .
That ’s up from 36 % of Netflix ’s 2022 game downloads being drive by fourth - quarter installs , the data indicates . In 2022 , Netflix games were downloaded 28.7 million times , and in 2021 , 5.2 million times , Sensor Tower estimates .
Initially a modest endeavor that saw Netflix building a catalog with a variety ofcasual gamesand those tie to Netflix ’s reach show , like “ Stranger Things , ” the company soon lead off acquire biz studio apartment , including “ Oxenfree ” developerNight School Studioin 2021 , follow the next twelvemonth bycozy game developer Spry Fox , Finland’sNext Games(publisher ofa “ Stranger Things ” statute title ) , and Texas - basedBoss Fight Entertainment , set up by former Zynga Dallas and Ensemble Studios employees .
The goal was to quick develop a portfolio of game that invoke to mobile gamers ’ varying penchant and writing style orientation .
With the acquisitions , Netflix also established studios around the universe , in addition to itsown internal studios , including aHelsinki location led by a former Zynga GMandone in Southern Californialed byChacko Sonny , the former executive producer on Overwatch from Blizzard Entertainment .
As the caller now looks tocloud gamingas its next frontier , it continues to gain adhesive friction on the mobile front , as well . Despite having establish mid - elbow room through last year , Netflix ’s latest addition , Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas , has already become the streamer ’s most - download game of all time . It also got the most downloads in a individual calendar month across the entire play portfolio , sound out mobile app word firmAppfigures . In gain , GTA : Vice City is Netflix ’s sixth - most downloaded 2023 biz , and GTA III was its eleventh - most downloaded game of the year , Sensor Tower data betoken .
The GTA game were an instant achiever , with all three collectively racking up over 6.4 million downloads in less than a calendar week after arriving on Netflix . meld , the trio of GTA games made up around 17 % of Netflix ’s 2023 play downloads , proving to be a hit with peregrine audiences — and potentially a grounds to keep a Netflix subscription for the costless access . Month - over - calendar month downloads triple for Netflix ’s gaming portfolio in December after double in November , Appfigures noted .
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Thanks toGTA title ’ popularity , “ Action ” games is Netflix ’s top play genre , but Netflix ’s gaming audience is n’t only glue to one case of game . Its secondly - most popular musical style is “ Lifestyle ” play , thanks to the “ Too Hot to Handle ” game that delivered half of the Lifestyle category downloads , Sensor Tower data shows .
“ Puzzle ” game were the No . 3 genre , due to Netflix ’s second - most popular secret plan , the poove tale puzzler Storyteller , launch in September 2023 , which labor 10 % of Netflix ’s game downloads in the preceding year , says Sensor Tower . The championship in the beginning launch on PC and Nintendo Switch originally in the year at a price of $ 10 . As Netflix ’s gloomy - costsubscriptionis $ 6.99 per month , the gambling service could attract to consumers who are often seek a variety of titles to rotate through during the twelvemonth .
Due to the timing of GTA : San Andreas ’ release , Storyteller was also the most downloaded plot for December 2023 , beating GTA : San Andreas by around 500,000 installs , observe Appfigures .
Many of Netflix ’s games are tied to its well out title — like “ Stranger Things , ” which had its own subset of game and featured in Netflix ’s version ofthe popular company biz “ Heads Up!”Other titles that became games include “ The Queen ’s Gambit , ” “ Too Hot to Handle , ” “ Money Heist , ” “ Shadow & Bone , ” “ beloved Is Blind ” and “ Narcos . But many more are licence or acquired titles that are n’t tied into Netflix programming .
For deterrent example , another top - downloaded game is “ SpongeBob : Get Cooking , ” a casual time management game base on the democratic cartoon . base on an analysis by Appfigures , GTA , Storyteller and Football Manager titles are also adding billion of downloads , point that a Netflix show tie - in is not necessary for gaming success . It also saw the tower defense title Bloons TD 6 as a top downloadas of last fall . However , the firm cautioned that the recent start in downloads had come after “ months of stagnation , ” which advise that Netflix may require even releases and ongoing promotional material to keep its plot engine pumping .
Last year , it worked toward that goal with therelease of 40 games , including popular title like “ Monument Valley ” and two internally develop games , “ Oxenfree II : Lost signal ” and “ Netflix Stories : Love Is unreasoning . ” It also begantesting game shimmer on TVsin the U.S. , U.K. and Canada , and individualize gaming hint within its app .
But daily game downloads following the GTA releases have been tapering off . GTA : San Andreas saw 1 million downloads on December 16 , 2023 , but that ’s fallen to less than 100,000 this Monday , for instance ( see chart ) .
Now the company is build an AAA ( big - budget ) studio from scratch to work on a multi - platform game based on “ unique information processing , ” according to aLinkedIn postingfrom a Netflix recruiter late last yr . secret plan developers would work with industry veterans includingChacko Sonny , Gavin Irby , Joseph Staten , Rafael GrassettiandJerry Edsallwho are lead the studio , the position noted . Job listingstoday point to open part for gameplay designers and a senior mobile engineer , indicating the title will be a transversal - platform game .
The title would join Netflix ’s now 89 total games across platform — a figure sure to grow in 2024 , as well , asNetflix announcedin December that it has nearly 90 more games in maturation .
Netflix gets a major win with GTA : The Trilogy coming to its fluid game roll
