Netflix has reportedly decided to cancel its Netflix Stories franchise, marking a surprising shift away from its narrative-driven gaming series. Popular titles such as Love is Blind, Perfect Match, and Virgin River will remain accessible to players, but future releases within this franchise are now indefinitely on hold.
This business decision, initially covered by our sibling site, raises intriguing and somewhat concerning questions about Netflix's future gaming strategy from a player's perspective. Initially, it appeared that Netflix was steering towards more narrative-driven games that could complement its television and film offerings. However, the abrupt cancellation of Netflix Stories suggests a potential reversal of this direction, hinting at upcoming changes and new strategies.
While I won't speculate on drastic measures like turning Netflix Games into a separate subscription service, it's worth noting, as Craig from .biz highlighted, that the Netflix Stories titles were not performing as well as other popular games like GTA: San Andreas and Squid Game Unleashed. This performance gap could be steering Netflix back towards porting more high-profile games and introducing new, exciting releases beyond the narrative genre.
Additionally, Paige from .biz has suggested that Netflix might be exploring party games to diversify its gaming catalogue. The idea of incorporating games like Jackbox was also discussed by Will and me on the latest episode of the Pocket Gamer Podcast, so stay tuned for more insights.
Despite these shifts, there's still a wealth of gaming options available. Be sure to check out our list of the top five new mobile games to try this week for more gaming fun!
Someone will pay
