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Netflix is delisting some of its best indie games (www.theverge.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/games@lemmy.world
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[–] 80 points 1 year ago (12 children)

I'm still confused on why Netflix has any games.

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  • [–] 46 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I just found out Netflix has games. Think I'll keep not using it.

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  • [–] 23 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    Netflix getting in on the streamed video games wasn't all that crazy. I flirted with it initially, as they had a few good Steam titles on there that I was effectively getting handed for free.

    But the marketing approach of jamming "Play this clickbait garbage game, you stupid idiot!" install button into my face every time I visited the site ultimately lead me to cancel my subscription. Like so much else in modern streaming, the website's admins do not want you to have any control over your front page. The end result is utterly alienating.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago* (4 children)

    the website’s admins do not want you to have any control over your front page. The end result is utterly alienating.

    This is one of the biggest things. Back when I would netflix often, I would constantly be annoyed when the 'continue watching' dialog was not the first one. Stop moving it around! Now I just watch everything locally. It's so much nicer.

    There is no reason streaming should be such a pain in the ass, and it amazes me the industry has made basic, paid access to shows a chore. And they wonder why viewership is not great*.

    *Also the writing generally sucks ass and assumes I'm not paying attention. No, seriously, they assume you aren't paying attention and write shows as such now. It makes so many things unwatchable.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    *Also the writing generally sucks ass and assumes I’m not paying attention.

    I've seen the articles dealing with the phenomenon of "Standard Netflix Show" and how it has become so painfully formulaic that it can only be described as background noise.

    Really not a great sign when your premium service is treated like elevator music. But hey, they've got a near-trillion dollar valuation, so clearly I'm dumb and their C-levels have earned every penny.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I can't understand what fucking market research "geniuses" came up with the idea that making streaming less accessible/more annoying was a good idea and would net more profits.

    But then again, the mass general population is fucking dumb

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    But then again, the mass general population is fucking dumb

    That's a lazy explanation. It neglects that Netflix did have a lot of accumulated goodwill from ease of access and quality content.

    But now its in the enshittification era. All the streaming services are behaving like this. There's no alternative that doesn't suck with a comparable library.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago

    Not a bad idea on paper. The games are not actually on Netflix. You just download an alternate version of the app (with no DLC or iAP), and login to your Netflix account to access the game. Some solid indie games on there.

    That said, I would never in my life pay for Netflix, but my family has it, so ya know, free mobile games when I'm bored.

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    • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    I'm subscribing to a free trial only to cancel again mu subscription.

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    4 comments in c/games@sh.itjust.works view that post
    [–] 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Finally. I can soon play Monument Valley 3 without a stupid Netflix subscription. Loved the first two and was incredibly disappointed to discover I couldn't play the 3rd.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    OUT OH MY GOD THANK YOU

    i was incensed by the exclusivity announcement. i couldn't understand why an indie developer (if they have any ethics) would sell out like that.... of course i was answering my own question.....

    disclaimer: i don't necessarily hate Netflix contents. i hate corporations trying to expand into everything, every market, every region, every industry and capture all resources and all customers like if Spectre from James Bond was a giant amoeba with a binge eating fetish.

    edit: spelling/auto-complete 🤦

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    i couldn’t understand why an indie developer (if they have any ethics) would sell out like that

    It's pretty tempting to know your next offering will sell, even if not a single customer plays it. No need to consider layoffs, etc.

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    • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    All their games were mobile offerings, a landscape completely so utterly dominated by freemium shovelware that 1-time purchase games are effectively non-existant if it's not a game that made a huge splash elsewhere. Even Apple Arcade, which runs on any current Apple hardware, is struggling with low usage

    So, yeah, zero surprise Netflix might need to refocus, as their gaming division was essentially a "freebie with your subscription"

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