Netflix is taking its next step into gaming by allowing subscribers in Poland on Android to play two Stranger Things games inside the Netflix app, the company announced Thursday.
“Starting today, members in Poland can try Netflix mobile gaming on Android with two games — Stranger Things 1984 and Stranger Things 3 — all as part of their membership,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement. “It’s still very, very early days and we will be working hard to deliver the best possible experience in the months ahead with our no ads, no in-app purchases approach to gaming.”
You can see how it works in a tweet from Netflix’s Polish team. Available games will show up in your home feed. If you tap on a game’s icon, you can learn more about the game and tap a button to download it, which will load up the Google Play Store inside the Netflix app. From there, you can download the game, and when it’s ready, you can play it from Netflix.
Let’s talk Netflix and gaming.
Today members in Poland can try Netflix mobile gaming on Android with two games, Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3. It’s very, very early days and we’ve got a lot of work to do in the months ahead, but this is the first step. https://t.co/yOl44PGY0r
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) August 26, 2021
The Netflix spokesperson clarified that games aren’t being streamed to your device — they are downloaded. And even though you are downloading the games to your device, you can only play them inside the Netflix app, the spokesperson said.
In July, Netflix put some big stakes in the ground about its plans for gaming, hiring a former EA and Oculus exec to lead the company’s gaming work and stating that its initial strategy would be “primarily focused on games for mobile devices.” Games will also be included for free with users’ Netflix subscriptions — which is all setting up for the company to offer an Apple Arcade-like suite of mobile games available to Netflix subscribers.
This isn’t the first time Netflix has experimented with games. The streaming service offers interactive titles like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Minecraft: Story Mode, and Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal. And the company had several Stranger Things projects in the works with Telltale, the makers of the hit The Walking Dead games, before the studio collapsed.
It’s unclear when Netflix subscribers outside of Poland or on different device platforms may be able to try the in-app mobile games.
