Netflix announced it’s starting a limited beta test for streaming Netflix Games on TV and browsers starting today, beginning with the titles Oxenfree and Molehew’s Mining Adventure.
Netflix has made a concerted effort to get into mobile gaming over the past couple of years, but the company has also voiced its intention to bring Netflix Games to platforms other than iOS and Android via cloud gaming. Last week, a mobile game controller app for Netflix appeared on the iOS App Store, suggesting that an announcement related to Netflix Games on TV was imminent. Now, in an August 14 blog post, Netflix confirmed it’s holding limited betas to test the water for Netflix games on TV, PCs, and Macs.
Starting today, some Netflix subscribers in Canada and the U.K. will get access to a limited beta test for Netflix Games on TV. Initially, Amazon, Chromecast, LG, Nvidia Sheild, Roku, Samsung, and Walmart TVs will support Netflix Games, with more to “be added on an ongoing basis.” In the coming weeks, Netflix.com will also start to allow subscribers in those regions to play games via a browser on both PC and Mac.
To start, only two games will be playable during the beta: Night School Studios’ narrative adventure game Oxenfree and a new “gem-mining arcade game” called Molehew’s Mining Adventure. Players will stream these games to the device Netflix is open on and can play them with a keyboard, mouse, or that Netflix Game Controller app. The blog post states that the purpose of this beta is “test our game-streaming technology and controller, and to improve the member experience over time.’
There’s no word on when this beta will make its way to North America, but this does indicate that we’ll only see Netflix’s gaming presence ramp up in the coming months and years.
