Netflix

Netflix’s cloud gaming ambitions take a step closer to reality

Andrew Romero | Aug 19 2022 - 7:12 am PT

Netflix is no stranger to streaming. The popular service has amassed billions in revenue from streaming movies and TV alone. The company even has a mobile gaming division. Now, it seems Netflix is moving into game streaming of a different type – cloud gaming.

This might come as a surprise, seen as the company is already in the middle of a campaign to bring mobile games to users through its Netflix Games service. This system rounds up new and existing games – some PC and console – and ports them out to mobile platforms, all under the Netflix name. The catalog has grown significantly since its launch, including some great titles like Into the Breach and more.

Game streaming, on the other hand, is a whole new beast – one that Netflix is seemingly prepping to take on. Found recently, the company has posted a few job listings online asking for a team with the skills to get the ball rolling in a Netflix cloud gaming division (via Protocol).

The listings spell out a few different positions, including a listing for a security product manager to deal with “gaming challenges, threat vectors, infrastructure, and client requirements.” On top of that, there is also a position open for a rendering engineer with the task to “support [Netflix’s] cloud gaming service.”

Netflix’s cloud gaming listings go on to pepper in terms we’re familiar with that could only really be construed as having to do with game streaming. Some mention the need for building up a new system for delivering “ultra low-latency” content, which is a system only needed in streaming when interaction is required, such as using a controller or touch controls.

This doesn’t come as a full surprise, though. Netflix confirmed plans for such an expansion back in 2021, citing that cloud gaming would not be a primary goal. That came as the company began work on the Netflix Game service we know now. With that service built out, it looks like Netflix is moving on to the next gaming phase.

No timeline is mentioned or even alluded to, it would seem, making it impossible to pin down a time frame as to when Netflix could even start rolling out a new cloud gaming service. Even with that being the case, we’re interested to see how the company handles some of the ups and downs we’ve seen game streaming companies take on. The company’s years in streaming experience could help in becoming the top spot in cloud gaming.