• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, August 16, 2023

Netflix keeps looking to the future -- expanding its gaming activity to a number of platforms, while other companies are just looking to find the right streaming TV/video programming creative and distribution combination.

For the big video streaming service, this means now moving gaming into internet-connected TV devices, computers and other devices.

Netflix’s efforts with gaming started up two years ago -- but just on mobile devices through its app -- when it bought Night School Studio. 

Now it is looking to offer gaming efforts on other platforms including Amazon Fire TV streaming media players, Chromecast with Google TV, LG TVs, Nvidia Shield TV, Roku devices and TVs, Samsung Smart TVs and Walmart Onn TV.

If you are wondering how Netflix will do this -- with the ease of needing a “controller” that comes with existing big-screen connected video-gaming systems?

It's simple: your mobile phone.

That kind of makes sense when looking to find a strong connection between non-video gaming system owners, limited mobile video gaming sixers (phones and tablets), and occasional big-screen gaming users.

But with all this, could this just be a prelude to the next generation of video gaming on smart TV sets -- when people can use their mobile phone to easily play games anywhere?

Netflix currently has 70 games in its mobile lineup and has said it is aiming to offer about 95 by the end of 2023. Last fall, it also talked up efforts to explore cloud gaming.

Netflix continues to work  -- not only to continue to dominate its more traditional TV/movie video streaming piece of the business -- but in many other areas.

It looks like streaming efforts from legacy  TV-network/studio companies will find a way to cut into its dominance.

So, young people who now spend way less time with big TV screens watching traditional content, will be looking for something else to entertain themselves. 

While gaming is a big thing right now, what entertainment will they be craving five or ten years from now? Maybe more interactive -- dare I say, artificial intelligence efforts -- around existing traditional TV/movie content? While Netflix is putting more than a few toes in the water, legacy media is just playing catch-up. 

Can they also make a leap into other content -- while at the same time looking into the face of a maturing streaming business with production cost-cutting sure to come over the next several years?