Netflix Games will allow you to use an iPhone as a controller
But if the iPhone is the controller, where will the games go?
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According to noted industry insider and all-around sound bloke Mark Gurman, Netflix Games will allow the use of an iPhone as a controller.
This will help Netflix to expand it’s admittedly less than spectacular gaming service by removing the need for the sperate purchase of a controller. This is a strong idea, as Netflix Games hasn’t quite been the paradigm-shifting smash hit that Netflix no doubt hoped it would be.
The Netflix Games service was first unveiled way back in November of 2021, following their acquisition of independent developer Night School Studio, which was clearly groundwork for the development and expansion of Netflix Games.
It now seems like Netflix Games is escaping away from the phone and tablet, and onto the big screen, leaving the phones as purely controllers.
No purchase necessary: Use your iPhone as a controller for Netflix Games
Despite the waning popularity of Netflix Games, it would appear that Netflix is still gunning for success with the platform, as adding support for iPhones as controllers is a smart way to make the service more accessible.
Like most things, this comes from Mark Gurman, who reported for Bloomberg that an Apple developer, Steve Moser, found some hidden code in the Netflix Games app.
This code would return a message reading “A game on your TV needs a controller to play. Do you want to use this phone as a game controller?”.
So yes, you’ll be able to use an iPhone as a controller for Netflix Games, however, this leads to a more interesting development.
Is Netflix Games coming to your TV?
Given that Netflix Games is currently a mobile-only service, the fact that you’ll be able to use your phone as a controller inadvertently confirms another piece of news.
Netflix Games will be coming to your TV, or at least, it probably will. Given the ever growing ubiquity of smart TVs, Netflix is automatically installed in a growing number of homes, meaning that putting Netflix Games directly on the TV is a no-brainer.
This no-brainer comes as a result of some pretty disappointing adoption stats for Netflix Gaming. In fact, according to Apptopia, just 0.7% of Netflix users have used the Netflix Games service.
So, moving the Netflix Games service away from an additional app, and to the main Netflix app already installed in every new TV certainly seems like the smart move. Will it pay off? We’ll have to wait to find out.
