Netflix has been working for quite some time to add access to video games for subscribers. In November of 2021, that dream became a reality. Netflix Games was officially announced on November 2, 2021, but the bad news for would-be gamers with a Netflix account was that it was for Android only. No iOS support available out of the box.
However, iOS support is reportedly in the works. Just when the service will go live for Apple’s mobile operating system remains to be seen. Another question, of course, is how Netflix would grant access to those titles seeing as Apple’s rules for streaming games isn’t quite suitable for the best possible experience for most services. We may have an answer.
According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, and writing for his “Power On” newsletter, Netflix does plan to comply with Apple’s rules regarding access to streaming games. That means that while Netflix Games exists as a hub to access titles while on the go, the titles available there will also be made available on an individual basis directly through the App Store.
That also means those titles will be reviewed as every other app or game is when it’s submitted to Apple’s digital storefront. There will be an easy-to-determine rating for the title, as well as an official landing page for the game.
Per the report:
Because of Apple’s ban on all-in-one services, the current individual app implementation on Android of the Netflix service gives us a preview of how the Netflix offering will function on iOS.
Netflix has been actively testing games on iOS, and—according to code discovered by developer Steve Moser and shared with Power On—Netflix will release all of its games on Apple’s App Store individually and let users launch the games via the Netflix app. They won’t all be downloadable and playable within the app itself.
As it stands, Netflix Games works in a similar way on Android. Users can browse the library of content, but then they’ll be redirected to Play Store to download and install the games.
The reality is, this parameter from Apple doesn’t work for Microsoft or Google or Amazon (or any of the other options out there) because they have gigantic libraries of content. Netflix Games might have a pretty big one some day, but it only has a handful right now. So, even as it builds out, that’s just one or two new games at a time. Xbox Game Pass, for example, already has more than 100 titles. And while it’s a rotating library, that amount won’t be changing in a big way anytime soon.
Still, it’s good to see that for Netflix subscribers who want to use Netflix Games, they will be able to use the App Store. If all of this pans out, of course.