Netflix’s New Venture Into Cloud Gaming: Why It Might Not Be a surefire Win
At TechCrunch Disrupt this week, VP of gaming Mike Verdu said that Netflix is committed to offering cloud gaming in the near future. However, this might not be the surefire win that Netflix is hoping for.
Google’s recent cloud gaming venture Stadia was met with lackluster results and eventually shuttered due to a lack of players. Cloud gaming requires extensive infrastructure and zero latency – two factors that may prove difficult for Netflix to manage. Additionally, even the slightest slowdown or lag in connection can ruin the gaming experience for users.
Netflix is a massive organization with plenty of resources at its disposal. However, cloud gaming is still in its early stages. It remains to be seen if Netflix will be able to overcome the challenges and provide a service that gamers will want to use.
Although cloud gaming could prevent customers from unsubscribing once they finish watching their favorite shows, running a business with this model presents many difficulties. For Netflix, it might not be the surefire win they’re hoping for.
What Are The Challenges of Cloud Gaming?
Cloud gaming is still in its early stages. It requires a huge infrastructure, no latency, and plenty of games. Consumers generally tolerate a bit of lag when starting up a show, but that won’t fly with cloud gaming. Even the slightest slowdown or lag in your connection can ruin your gaming experience. And while Netflix is a massive organization with huge resources at its disposal, even that isn’t enough to win over gamers.
Netflix would need to invest in building the infrastructure for cloud gaming, which includes ensuring there is no latency. They would also need to have a wide variety of games available so that gamers would want to use their service. Even with all of these resources, Netflix still might not be able to provide a cloud gaming experience that is better than what is currently available.