In May, both LinkedIn and YouTube added games to their platform, joining Netflix’s ranks to enter the gaming industry. Even Disney has forayed into gaming and, earlier this year, announced a $1.5 billion investment in Fortnite’s parent company, Epic Games. Why are an increasing number of companies adding games to their platforms and are these really worth playing?

Here’s what they’re going for.

Why Are Companies Launching Games on Their Platform?

Grand View Research estimates that the global gaming market’s size was over $217 billion in 2022 and expects the industry to grow at a CAGR of 13.4% between 2023 and 2030 and reach $584 billion.

In its report, it said, “the population growth, broadening demographics, increased accessibility, social interaction, and connectivity, and changing perceptions and cultural acceptance of gaming led to a significant rise in number of gamers.”

Currently, LinkedIn, Netflix, and YouTube are offering games without any additional charges. However, sooner or later they might start users for the service or else opt for the “freemium” model and bundle these with their premium subscription. Netflix games are incidentally available only to paying members, but the company might consider offering these in higher tiers in the future in a bid to upsell the subscription.

Along with monetizing games in the future, companies like LinkedIn and Netflix can also increase engagement on the platforms with games.

The “Wordle Effect”: New York Times Saw an Increase in Engagement

In early 2022, the New York Times acquired Wordle, a viral word game that was sweeping the planet. The results of the acquisition were quite visible in the company’s Q1 2022 earnings itself. In its release, it said, “Wordle brought an unprecedented tens of millions of new users to The Times, many of whom stayed to play other games which drove our best quarter ever for net subscriber additions to Games.”

The addition of gaming makes platforms like Netflix and YouTube even more appealing to users and increases the overall value proposition.

LinkedIn Offers Three Games

LinkedIn currently offers just three games: Pinpoint, Crossclimb, and Queens. In Pinpoint, you are given some items and have to guess their category. Crossclimb is like a mini crossword and the user has to rearrange their answers into a word ladder.

In Queens, you need to have exactly one in each row, column, and color region and none of these should touch each other.

The three games look decent if you’re a fan of mind teasers and word games. LinkedIn says that it can help you prepare “your mind for the workday.” There is also an opportunity to network by comparing and sharing your scores. Overall, LinkedIn games can be a good way to break out from that busy office schedule in a short 10-minute break.

linkedin games

Source

Netflix Entered Gaming in 2021

Netflix got into gaming in November 2021 at a time when its subscriber growth started showing signs of a slowdown after strong growth in the previous few quarters. The company later also launched an ad-supported tier and started cracking down on password sharing to propel its subscriber numbers. The strategy has paid off well and Netflix’s subscriber numbers jumped sharply last year.

Meanwhile, Netflix now has multiple gaming options that you can choose based on your requirements. Here are some of the popular games on Netflix

  • Ghost Detective: It is a mystery game where the user follows the life and death of the detective, Tessa. After Tessa’s death, you play as her ghost, working through the puzzles to try and solve the murder mystery.
  • Lucky Luna: In this game, you control Luna, a small child in a fox mask. The user has to go through various challenges and collect as many pearls as possible during the process.
  • Dead Cells: It is an action game, but upon every “death” you start at the beginning.
  • Into the Breach: In this smash hit indie game, you have to repel invading alien forces. The game is good for someone who wants to try out their hand at strategizing.
  • Heads Up: It’s a charade-like game where you have to guess the name on the screen.

youtube gaming

YouTube Has a Good Gaming Collection

YouTube also recently dove into the world of gaming. It offers over 75 games to play. Here are some of the games that are worth trying

  • Trivia Crack: As the name suggests, you have to answer as many questions as possible. The game asks questions across genres like art, history, and sports.
  • Words of Wonder: This is an adaption of crosswords and looks worth a try.
  • Angry Birds Showdown: In this title, you have to pop all the pigs of your opponents to win.

Overall, Netflix has a good collection of games, but you need to be a paying subscriber to play these games. The company sees gaming as a big opportunity, and even streaming rival Disney has taken a stake in Epic Games as the company tries to capitalize on the gaming market.

You can check the video above for more on the different games that are available on Netflix.

With the gaming market expected to grow in high single digits over the next decade, more companies might look at adding games as these help increase engagement on their platform while also presenting monetization opportunities.

As for gamers, they can expect to be spoilt for choice – if they are not already.