Netflix says its gaming push will begin with mobile
A report last week hinted at some of Netflix's gaming ambitions. In its Q2 2021 earnings report, the company confirmed some things. First, Netflix says it will be primarily focused" on mobile at first, looking to expand on its interactivity projects like Black Mirror Bandersnatch and its Stranger Things games. The upcoming titles will be available at no additional cost as part of your subscription and the company was clear it will keep up the pace on movies and television.
We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV," the company said in a letter to its shareholders.
2020 was a big year for Netflix. With everyone stuck at home and movie theaters closed, the streaming service attracted 16 million new customers in three months. As expected, in 2021 that pace has dramatically slowed and the new customer numbers continue to be a struggle. In its earnings report, the company says it added 1.5 million subscribers in Q2, which was actually a bit better than its forecast mark of one million. However, that's lower than Q1 2021, which saw the company tack on 3.98 new customers globally.
Netflix says it forecasts new customer additions to hit 3.5 million in Q3 2021, up from 2.2 million during the same three-month a year ago. If it does so, the company explains that would bring the total new subscriber tally to 54 million over the last two years. The pace may have slowed for Netflix, but overall it's doing just fine. Revenue was still up 19 percent year-over-year at $7.3 billion for the quarter.
According to Netflix's own numbers, Shadow and Bone was a popular series this quarter, streaming to over 55 million member households" in less than a month. The show has already been renewed for a second season based on those numbers. Sweet Tooth, a series based on a DC comic, was streamed by 60 million households the first month it was available. Unscripted series like Too Hot to Handle and The Circle were popular selections as well, as was true crime docuseries The Sons of Sam. In terms of movies, Zac Snyder's Army of the Dead hit 75 million households in the first month. Netflix also explained that The Mitchells vs. The Machines is now its biggest animated film to date, streaming to 53 million households.
Netflix says COVID-related production delays led to a lighter" first half of 2021 in terms of content, but the pace will pick up throughout the rest of the year. The company's Q3 lineup includes new seasons of La Casa de Papel (Money Heist), Sex Education, Virgin River and Never Have I Ever in addition to live action films like Sweet Girl (Jason Momoa), Kissing Booth 3 and Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Plus, there's the animated film Vivo, which will feature new music from Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Editor's Note: This post originally appeared on Engadget.