The battleground for consumer attention and engagement is fiercer than ever. Platforms traditionally known for streaming videos or facilitating professional networking are expanding their horizons into the gaming sector. This move underscores a strategic pivot towards creating more interactive and immersive experiences, aimed at capturing and retaining user attention in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape.
First, it’s important to mention that gaming is not just popular amongst children. The latest NewZoo study on how different generations engage with gaming shows video games are the #1 source of entertainment for Gen Alpha and tie for first place with social networks for Gen Z, but even millennials, Gen X and Baby boomers spend significant time playing games.
Now gaming is expanding beyond traditional players. This post is an exploration of how various platforms are incorporating gaming into their ecosystems, organised by platform.
Netflix Gaming
Netflix’s venture into gaming, started in 2021, represents a bold step beyond its stronghold in streaming entertainment. With an executive specifically appointed to spearhead its gaming division, Netflix embarked on creating mobile games that resonate with its original content themes, such as “Stranger Things” and “The Queen’s Gambit”.
Two years in, Netflix reported it had 86 games available at the end of 2023 —all included with every Netflix membership without ads, in-app purchases or extra fees and nearly 90 more games in development. The bet seems to be paying off. Netflix Games downloads increased more than 180% year-over-year in 2023, according to data cited by TechCrunch. Netflix games were downloaded more than 81 million times worldwide last year, up significantly from 28.7 million in 2022. In August 2023, the company started testing streaming games on the Web and TV, in an effort to become a player in the Cloud Gaming space, and it’s also known to be working on a proprietary AAA game. Analysts have estimated that Netflix has spent about $1 billion on buying gaming studios and building the business. The company spends about $17 billion a year on its shows and movies.
YouTube Playables
Months after killing Google Stadia, the company’s cloud gaming effort, in November 2023, YouTube introduced ‘Playables‘, offering over 30 games playable directly on the platform. This initiative aligns with YouTube’s goal of becoming a one-stop destination for diverse forms of entertainment, complementing its existing offerings like music, TV shows, and movies.
Google’s motivation behind this move is likely a drive increased advertising spend on the platform. With gaming’s vast appeal, YouTube aims to leverage its massive platform to engage users in new, interactive ways, potentially transforming the way viewers consume content.
Google Gamesnacks
Stadia was not the first or last attempt by Google to enter gaming. In April 2023 Google released Gamesnacks, an experimental gaming portal. Gamesnacks offers HTML5 fast-loading, casual online games that can run on basic smartphones, and even 2G or 3G networks.
Developers are welcome to submit games via their developer SDK.
TikTok minigames
TikTok, primarily known for its short-form video content, is dipping its toes into gaming with the introduction of mini-games and interactive live quiz games, like ‘TikTok Trivia“. These initiatives offer users additional forms of engagement, marrying the platform’s core video content with interactive gaming experiences. By enabling creators to integrate gaming into their livestreams, TikTok is exploring new avenues to enhance user interaction and community building.
Microsoft Teams – work hard, play hard?
In an unexpected twist, Microsoft Teams has introduced ‘Games for Work,’ integrating simple, safe-for-work games like Solitaire and Minesweeper into its platform. This initiative is designed to foster connections among professionals, offering a unique blend of productivity and leisure. By embedding gaming into a collaboration tool, Teams showcases the versatility of gaming as a medium for both entertainment and team-building.
Linkedin is the latest company to add gaming to its platform
Facebook was the first social network to offer gaming and leverage its social graph to help games grow virally. It brought the rise of Zynga with its hit game Farmville, but eventually Facebook shut down its gaming in 2022. Now LinkedIn is the latest social network to offer gaming on its platform. The company believes gaming could help foster connections and engagement among users in a more interactive and fun way compared to the current text-based communication tools.
App researchers started detecting code in Linkedin’s app that shows the new games.
Mattel saw the potential of Barbie and its IP
It was recently published that Monopoly Go hit $2 billion in revenue 10 months after launch. The game was developed by Scopely, a gaming company acquired by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games. The IP of Monopoly is owned by toy company Hasbro.
Mattel is another toy company is sitting on an IP treasure trove. Following the Barbie movie success, the toy giant s becoming a game publisher and will release self-published titles featuring their iconic brands and characters later this year. This move allows Mattel to directly engage with fans, deliver gaming experiences based on their intellectual property, increase revenue potential, and expand their digital games business by working with development studios worldwide.
Barbie Dreamhouse Tycoon launched on Roblox in October 2023 and has already attracted 163 million plays.
Disney partners with Epic
Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite. This move represents a significant investment by Disney into the gaming industry, aligning with its strategy to diversify and expand its entertainment empire. Disney plans to further its metaverse ambitions to create new immersive experiences.
Disney CEO Robert Iger said in an official release;
“Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney’s beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe. This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion. We can’t wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in groundbreaking new ways.”
Disney press release – Disney and Epic Games to Create Expansive and Open Games and Entertainment Universe Connected to Fortnite
Discord – from talking about games to playing them on the platform
Discord, primarily known for communication among gamers, have been adding features to help developers embed games third-party apps directly into the Discord interface. The newly announced Embedded App SDK aims to make Discord a comprehensive hub for developers to build, share, distribute, and monetize their games, enhancing the platform’s community engagement without the need for users to leave the Discord experience?.
Zoom – the app store and games
Did you know people can play games with friends and co-workers via Zoom? The Zoom app marketplace includes 21 games like poker, bingo, trivia, card games, Boggle and Heads Up.
New York Times
The New York Times’ puzzle and games were played more than 8 billion times in 2023, the company shared with Axios, led by breakout hit Wordle, with 4.8 billion plays. Jonathan Knight, NYT’s head of games said: “Our vision is to be the premier subscription destination for digital puzzles” – as gaming becomes an increasingly important piece of the NYT’s subscription revenue. Rather than keep gamers playing for long sessions to maximise ad revenue, the NYT games focuses on creating regularity and retention, bringing player back daily to complete Wordle, Connections, the Mini crossword, Spelling Bee etc.
The Broader Perspective
Several industry changes have made it challenging for gaming companies to scale. IDFA, Apple’s app store policies and its aggressive revenue share, and the rising costs of user acquisition to name a few.
That being said, gaming continues to increase in popularity across generations and remains an effective tool for engaging and retaining the audience. By integrating gaming into their ecosystems, these platforms not only seek to enhance user experience but also to establish themselves as multifaceted entertainment hubs in the competitive digital arena.
At Remagine Ventures, we predict that more players will continue to enter the gaming space, either by buying gaming studios or bundling gaming into their consumer subscription packages. This can include additional streaming platforms/broadcasters, commerce platforms, and content publishers. We’re excited to invest in the future of gaming and the technologies that will revolutionise gaming including generative AI.
I’m a former general partner at google ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Google’s first physical hub for startups.
I’m also the founder of Techbikers, a non-profit bringing together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read. Since inception in 2012 we’ve built 11 schools and 50 libraries in the developing world.
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