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Just Like That, Netflix Is Suddenly Kind Of Great At Games

When Netflix announced its intentions to move into the mobile gaming space, I, like many others, was skeptical. Like the dreaded TikTok-ification of Instagram, it felt like yet another example of a tech company that couldn’t stay in its lane, couldn’t simply continue doing what it was good at. Perhaps in response to its own view that Fortnite is more of a competitor than HBO, this new attempt at diversification felt more like one to appease investors than something that would legitimately matter to people who care about games. Its initial gaming launch last year with five games was uninspiring and forgettable, but this summer has dramatically recolored my perception of Netflix as a games publisher.

Given that launch lineup, I didn’t think much of Netflix’s announcement that it would have almost 50 games available by the end of the year. And yet, the quality of recent announcements and the releases in July are sufficient reason to reconsider things. Into the Breach, if you haven’t read my review update (which involved updating the score to a very rare 10), is an all-time great game, and the only way to play it on mobile is by having a Netflix subscription. Before Your Eyes, which was quietly one of last year’s best games, is also now on mobile via Netflix. Ports may not sound like the most thrilling way to make a mark, but when it involves bringing such terrific games–particularly in the case of Into the Breach, which is a perfect fit on mobile, or Before Your Eyes, which ensures you have a camera–I’m more than okay with it.

We’re also not far removed from the release of Poinpy, which is a delightful original game from the creator of Downwell that came out of nowhere. If Netflix can continue facilitating mobile ports for stellar games and periodically dropping quality original releases, it suddenly begins to have a much more serious presence as a mobile player. We don’t yet know if it can replicate what the last month or two looked like going forward, but Spiritfarer, Kentucky Route Zero, Reigns: Three Kingdoms, Terra Nil, and presumably Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (the developer of which is now owned by Netflix) make for a promising outlook.

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