Netflix games may soon get ads or microtransactions

Netflix could be the first to bring advertisements to premium games within a subscription service.

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In 2021, Netflix announced that it would start offering free mobile games for subscribers to enjoy. All active Netflix users could play a growing lineup of mobile games for no extra charge--a carefully strategized value-add that's aimed at subscriber retention. From the get-go, the company has proudly boasted that its games don't feature ads or optional in-game purchases.

The lineup of games typically included smaller-scale titles at first, but has since ramped up to include some heavy-hitters like Rockstar Games' mega-popular Grand Theft Auto series. Now the service features more than 80 games, with mobile hits like Too Hot to Handle, Football Manager 2024 and GTA: San Andreas among the most-played titles. In fact, Netflix briefly took the #1 top gaming spot on both the Google Play Store and the App Store with its version of GTA: San Andreas.

Now after making multiple video game studio acquisitions to help fuel its gaming ambitions, it appears Netflix is looking at ways to maximize the returns of its games branch.

Sources have told The Wall Street Journal that Netflix could go back on its previous promises and start to include advertisements and/or microtransactions within the games that it offers. Sources also say that Netflix could incorporate some sort of game storefront within the app and sell more premium titles directly to subscribers.

The Netflix gaming website declares:

No ads. No extra fees. No in-app purchases.

Unlimited access to more than 50 exclusive mobile games.

Included with your Netflix membership.

The news comes just 3 months after CNBC noted that less than 1% of Netflix subscribers actually play games on the service:

"Less than 1% of all Netflix subscribers play a Netflix game on a daily basis, even as choices have more than tripled in the last year," CNBC reported on October 2023.