Netflix announced in its latest earnings report that user engagement with games on its platform tripled in 2023. The streaming giant, which entered the gaming space by offering games to its subscribers in 2021, highlighted the significant growth in gaming engagement, even though games are still a relatively small part of its overall business compared to movies and TV shows.
The biggest driver of growth in Netflix’s games division is the addition of the GTA series
Netflix owes a significant portion of this growth to the addition of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy to its game library. The trilogy, which includes Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, arrived on the platform on December 14, contributing to a surge in game engagement in the final weeks of the year.
According to Netflix, the Grand Theft Auto trilogy was its most successful launch to date in terms of installs and engagement. While the company did not disclose the specific number of downloads during this period, it noted that some customers signed up specifically to play these games.
This marks a significant shift from 2022, when data from Apptopia and CNBC showed that less than one percent of Netflix customers were actively playing games. Despite slow initial adoption, Netflix has continued to expand its game library, adding popular titles such as Hades, Dead Cells, Braid, Death’s Door and Katana Zero.
The platform has also increased the price of game development with games such as Oxenfree II: Lost Signal, which was created in-house following the acquisition of indie developer Night School. The company also introduced games based on its original series, such as Money Heist and The Dragon Prince.
Beyond games, Netflix reported a significant increase in its subscriber base, adding 13.1 million subscribers in the last quarter of 2023. Netflix now has a total of 260 million subscribers worldwide.
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