Tuesday 9 August 2022 01:07 PM Only 1% of Netflix subscribers have tried the platform's games trends now
Netflix's ambitious expansion into gaming seems to have got off to a sluggish start, new data suggests.
According to app tracker Apptopia, Netflix's games have only 1.7 million daily users – less than one per cent of its 221 million global subscribers.
They've also been downloaded a total of 23.3 million times globally since they were first introduced last November for Android and iOS devices.
There are now a total of 26 official Netflix games available exclusively to subscribers of the streaming platform, including two 'Stranger Things' spinoffs.
The new data comes shortly after Netflix announced a loss of 970,000 subscribers in the second quarter of the year.
'Stranger Things 3: The Game' is one of two retro-style 'Stranger Things'-themed spinoffs offered by Netflix
Netflix's library of self-produced games are included in a Netflix membership and feature no adverts
Apptopia, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts, said downloads of the streaming giant's games had been trending downward until May, when they started slowly climbing – coinciding with the release of the new series of 'Stranger Things'.
'Apptopia estimates 1.7 million people are using any combination of these games daily, which is higher than we have estimated at any point prior,' Adam Blacker, VP of insights at Apptopia, told MailOnline.
'The sheer number of games is certainly influencing the growth.'
It's hard to sustain a high number of active users because typically only 3-10 per cent of people who download a mobile game are still playing it 30 days later, he said.
'People either get bored or move on to something they like better or they try it and don't like it. I do think only a few people are going to play every day.'
MailOnline has contacted Netflix for comment.
Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight, said Netflix's move into games could be proving 'a costly bold move'.
'The company will have to dedicate significant resources including time and investment with no guaranteed success,' he told MailOnline.
'Netflix needs to strongly think about retention and engagement. While downloads is useful, getting users to play games is key.'
Netflix's huge subscriber base of 221 million will be an 'attractive shop window' for games developers, he added.
Into The Breach, a turn-based strategy game that involves saving the world from alien threats, is one of 26 games now available on Netflix
Netflix's ambitious expansion into gaming seems to have got off to a sluggish start, the data suggests (file photo)
'Despite this, competition in games is even greater and will take Netflix many years before it can established itself in this cut-throat market.'
Netflix's games are only accessible to Netflix subscribers, but have to be downloaded as separate apps.
No adverts or in-app purchases feature in the games, unlike with many other mobile games.
It was last year that Netflix announced it would be expanding
