CNBC reports that new data reported by app analytics company Apptopia shows that less than one percent of Netflix’s 221 million users have downloaded the video games now included in the subscription service.
The numbers break down like this: According to Apptopia, Netflix games have been downloaded a total of 23.3 million times for an average of 1.7 million users per day. That would be a lot of users for a smaller service, but at Netflix it means most of its subscribers haven’t touched the games in its catalog.
Actually, “most” would be a bit charitable. If Apptopia’s data is accurate, nearly all Netflix subscribers haven’t touched the video game offerings.
Before any doom and gloom befalls Netflix’s gaming strategy, it should be noted that its gaming catalog is a bit thinner at the moment. Its most notable release to date was Into the Breach: Advanced Edition, a complete version of Into the Breach plus new content that is also available on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
Netflix is working to add 50 titles to the platform by the end of the year. These titles will include a mix of adaptations of various Netflix shows and movies, as well as games developed by Ustwo and Devolver Digital.
Those low numbers probably aren’t the most important to Netflix executives, given that Netflix Games isn’t just hosting third-party titles, it will be the marketplace for games produced by Netflix’s three in-house game studios.
However, Netflix’s business strategy has come under increased scrutiny after the digital distribution service lost over one million subscribers. Netflix did reduce “expenditure growth” earlier in 2022, but it’s still investing at least $17 billion in content.
Today’s data is a useful indicator of the future of Netflix’s gaming business. It’s still a relatively small service built primarily on mobile devices, where players have a pre-existing set of expectations about how mobile games work. It’s worth watching how the service grows and how many users it converts into players.
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