Netflix partners with Epic to enter the "TV game subscription" market: using mobile phones as controllers, threatening the three giants of Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony?

Netflix announced its entry into the television gaming field in collaboration with EPIC, using mobile phones to scan QR codes as controllers, proclaiming the creation of a new ecosystem for family entertainment (Background: Is the Microsoft XBOX empire collapsing? Rumors of cancellation of game console development, leading to a wave of cancellations among European and American users) (Additional context: Mirage Pelu admitted "Nintendo's legal department is too scary": Official announcement of the removal of Poké Ball throwing and gliding mechanisms) The competition in the streaming media has already reached a fever pitch, yet on October 8, Netflix dropped a new bombshell: Co-CEO Greg Peters announced at the Bloomberg Digital Summit the first-time offering of gaming services on smart TVs, allowing users to use their mobile phones to scan QR codes to turn their screens into consoles and their phones into controllers. This move symbolizes Netflix's upgrade from "film and television platform" to "complete entertainment center," simultaneously launching an offensive for dominance in the family living room. Mobile becomes TV: Full-scale gaming strategy Netflix entered the mobile gaming market four years ago, and now it is pushing the front lines to the big screen, motivated by two key points: the mobile market is highly saturated, while TV screens still hold the advantage in social scenarios. Peters self-evaluated the current stage as only achieving a "B-" grade, and also revealed the company's ambition for higher standards. The new service focuses on party games like "Boggle Party," "Pictionary: Game Night," "Tetris Time Warp," and "Lego Party," targeting families and friends gatherings, turning viewing gaps into interactive entertainment time. The process eliminates the need for extra controllers and consoles, as it can be activated with existing TVs or devices like Roku, lowering the entry barrier and strengthening scene penetration. Innovation threshold: The experience test of mobile as a controller While not having to buy hardware is convenient, the "feel" and "latency" will determine whether users will pay. The lack of physical buttons on mobile screens raises questions about whether touch precision is sufficient in multiplayer games, and the impact of network latency on game smoothness will be tested in the market after official promotion. Netflix has invested in additional cloud server capacity to ensure that throughput can meet peak traffic, forecasting that more complex, higher-quality television game content may emerge in the future. Epic pedigree support: Alain Tascan's long-term blueprint Alain Tascan, a former high-ranking executive at Epic Games who joined in July 2024, is seen as a driving force for Netflix's gaming department. Compared to Hollywood's past short-term licensing model, Tascan spoke sharply: "They adopted a short-termism approach." The blueprint he leads divides products into four lines: children's games, party games, mainstream hits, and derivatives based on Netflix IP, such as "Stranger Things." Through this matrix, the company aims to capture casual players, core gamers, and film fans simultaneously. Taking "Lego Party" as an example, priced at about 40 USD but offered for free on the platform, it essentially internalizes the content cost into the subscription fee, reinforcing stickiness through value-added services. Challenges and impacts: Restructuring the family entertainment ecosystem For Netflix, gaming is not just an additional feature, but an "interactive adhesive" that extends user retention. Tascan emphasized: "To entertain the world, we must include games." Facing competitors like Amazon Luna, which also bets on social gaming, Netflix needs to rely on IP strength, ease of service, and content frequency. In the future, if cloud streaming can be integrated with film and television IP, users may directly jump into adapted games after finishing a series, blurring the boundaries between film/television and gaming. The short-term challenge lies in cultivating user habits, content depth, and network quality; the long-term challenge is how to continuously invest in research and development, establish its own studio capabilities, and manage substantial server costs. Whether it can succeed will determine if Netflix truly evolves the "remote control on the couch" from a play button into a comprehensive interactive gateway. Starting from today's announcement, Netflix has released a clear signal to the market: the next round of family entertainment competition will not only be about content libraries but also about interactive experiences. If the mobile controller model passes the test, combined with the content productivity of the Epic system pedigree, Netflix has a chance to raise the bar once again and rewrite the entertainment landscape of the living room. Related reports Altman shares the stage with Pokémon: hoping Nintendo won't sue us... OpenAI's new Sora model ignites copyright war. Cryptocurrency payments landing on PS5? Circle partners with Sony L2 "Soneium" to introduce USDC. Sony L2 "Soneium" will comprehensively integrate its gaming, music, and film industries. What changes will the Sony empire face? <Netflix partners with Epic to enter "television game subscription": using mobile as a controller, threatening the three giants of Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony consoles?> This article was first published in BlockTempo, the most influential blockchain news media.