Netflix announced on Tuesday that its users can now create unique public usernames for its games, a decision the company hopes will provide “a more personalized gameplay experience.”
Players will be able to use their new Netflix gaming handles to find their friends, appear on leaderboards and play online with others in the company’s growing library of games.
There is a total of 33 games currently available for users in the United States with an active Netflix subscription to play.
The customized usernames can be different from Netflix profile names, which means users can create fun names to use in multiplayer games like Rival Pirates, an online 16-player battle royale experience where players battle each other in ships with the goal to become the last one standing.
Available for both iOS and Android users on mobile devices, Netflix gaming has quite an easy set-up.
According to Netflix, in order to set up gamer handles, users need to download the Netflix mobile app first. For iOS users, download Rival Pirates or Lucky Luna specifically to select your gamer handle in-game and for Android users, select the games tab in the navigation bar and find the banner that says “Create your Netflix game handle.”
Netflix’s library of games is still only available on mobile devices, as the company is still trying to establish its footing in the video game market.
“This feature is only the beginning in building a tailored game experience for our members around the world,” said Sophia Yang, product manager for mobile games at Netflix. “We’ll continue to adapt and evolve our service to meet the needs of our members.”
Netflix’s venture into video games can be seen as an added effort from the company to stand out among its competitors for consumers’ time and money.
The streaming giant made headlines earlier this year, reporting huge losses in subscribers for the first time since 2011. Experts say that the decline can be attributed to several factors, including stiff competition from other streaming platforms, pandemic-era restrictions being lifted and service-tier price hikes.
“If people are playing Dominoes Café on Netflix, it’s nice to have that leaderboard to share and compete with,” said Dominic D’Amico, a graduate student and an avid video game player. “Gamers have been going for the top spot on the leaderboard since the arcade days after all. Plus, the additions don’t hurt anyone.”
Current Netflix users can download and try out their games in single player or multiplayer formats.