Netflix Is Turning Hit Shows Like ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Into Mobile Games
Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
As Netflix continues its foray into gaming, the streaming giant is turning to its popular shows to find ideas for mobile games.
The streaming giant on Friday previewed more than a dozen mobile games or TV shows based on gaming franchises. That included four upcoming titles adapted from Netflix series, such as the crime thriller “La Casa de Papel” (English title: “Money Heist”) and acclaimed limited series “The Queen’s Gambit.”
Some of the gaming adaptations are straightforward: “The Queen’s Gambit Chess” is essentially chess with lots of bells and whistles, letting players take lessons or solve puzzles, compete in online matches or face off against characters from the series. “La Casa de Papel,” meanwhile, is a single-player action-adventure where players crack safes and rob a casino.
But Netflix is trying to gamify reality TV, too. One title in development is “Too Hot To Handle,” inspired by the dating show where contestants win $100,000 by not having sex with each other. Details on gameplay were light: per Netflix’s description, players “meet and mingle with a whole new cast of sexy singles.”
Another game in development is “Nailed It: Baking Bash,” a “physics based baking game” that’s a riff off the Nicole Byers-hosted game show where amateur bakers compete for “least terrible” cake.
The streaming service has previously offered mobile titles using its own intellectual property, such as a “Stranger Things” role-playing adventure game. In addition, the company has released a mobile title called “Exploding Kittens - The Game,” based on the popular card sets, which Netflix is also adapting into a series.
The cross pollination strategy could boost engagement on Netflix’s platform, luring fans of shows to its games and vice versa. The company is trying all sorts of ideas to turnaround its sluggish growth.
Netflix is trying to appeal to hard-core gamers, too. As part of Friday’s “Geeked Week” presentation—when the company hypes its upcoming content slate—Netflix unveiled “Tekken: Bloodline,” an animated series inspired by the classic fighting game franchise, as well as new clips from “Sonic Prime,” a forthcoming show for the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog.
Much of the new games and shows are set to roll out later this year and in 2023, according to Netflix. All told, the company currently has 22 mobile titles under its belt since it started buying gaming studios and launched its first game in November—part of its play to hang onto consumers after losing subscribers for the first time in a decade last quarter.
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Christian Hetrick is dot.LA's Entertainment Tech Reporter. He was formerly a business reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and reported on New Jersey politics for the Observer and the Press of Atlantic City.
