The cheaper plan will usher in a new era for Netflix, but games will remain ad-free.
Netflix is introducing a new "Basic with Ads" plan that will cost $6.99 per month (which is around $3 cheaper than the current "Basic" tier), but will also force users to watch an "average of about four minutes of ads per hour."
We're sure those subscribing to Netflix to sink their teeth into a bounty of TV shows and movies will have plenty to say about the pivot towards advertising, but what if you're just in it for the streaming company's growing roster of games?
Well, you'd be in luck. Because Netflix has confirmed that Basic with Ads will also grant users access to Netflix Games "without any ads." What a trip.
"Ads will only be shown before or during TV shows and movies, not games," reads an FAQ on the Netflix website. It's an interesting bit of small print that might entice people interested in checking out the Netflix Games roster, which includes some mobile exclusive titles such as Poinpy and Before Your Eyes, to finally take the plunge.
Basic with Ads will launch in November across 12 regions including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, Canada, and Mexico.
Netflix is touting the new plan as an "exciting opportunity for advertisers" and consumers, and claims it will offer "everything people love about Netflix, at a lower price, with a few ads in-between."
The ads themselves will be 15 or 30 seconds in length, and will play before and during shows and films -– but again, not games.
Netflix has made huge inroads into the video game market over the past year. Since launching Netflix Games in November 2021 with just five titles, the streaming company has expanded that catalog to 35 titles.
The roster currently includes a number of recognizable names such as Spiritfarer, Oxenfree, Into the Breach, Desta: The Memories Between, and Asphalt Xtreme.
Netflix intends to grow the Netflix Games catalog to around 50 titles by the end of 2022 with a view to offering a "gaming experience that is differentiated from what is available today."
As well as bringing third-party releases to Netflix Games, the company has outlined plans to develop projects based on popular Netflix properties such as Money Heist and The Queens Gambit.
To make those internal development plans a reality, Netflix has been acquiring studios at a steady pace.
This year alone, the company has purchased Next Games and Boss Fight Entertainment, and more recently established another in-house studio in Helsinki that will be led by former Zynga Helsinki general manager Marko Lastikka.
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