Netflix gets Assassin's Creed mobile and two other Ubisoft games

A new Assassin’s Creed mobile game is coming exclusively to Netflix, alongside two other mobile titles, Ubisoft announced on Saturday. The games will be live on the Netflix mobile app and feature original content designed by Ubisoft, all building on existing franchises.

In addition to an Assassin’s Creed title, Ubisoft is working on a Valiant Hearts game, set to release in January 2023. The game will be a sequel to 2014’s ‘Valiant Hearts: The Great War’, with a new story created by the same team. It is also creating a sequel to the action role-playing, hack-and-slash game “The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot.” The new title, called ‘The Mighty Quest’, is inspired by the roguelike genre and will be released next year.

The games contain no ads or in-app purchases, although Netflix plans to lock down the titles for subscribers only. Ubisoft declined to share how it will monetize the partnership. The Assassin’s Creed title is intended to be a cross-promotion for the live-action TV series, which was first announced in 2020.

“Netflix doesn’t take a lot of big pictures like this, but when they do, they support them and are committed to them. And they understand that the journey can be long, especially with games, where it takes years to make games,” said Mike Verdu, vice president of games at Netflix, about the company’s approach to gaming in an interview with The Washington Post.

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Market analysts have highlighted Netflix gaming’s dismal adoption rate, as reported by a third-party app analytics firm. Netflix declined to share how many users are playing its games.

“Netflix has so far managed to convince only 1.7 million people of its 221 million subscribers to play games on its platform daily,” said Joost van Dreunen, lecturer on the business of games at NYU Stern. School of Business. “That’s a relatively low conversion rate and the reason Netflix will claim it’s playing the long game. It risks spending a lot of money on content that doesn’t significantly improve its business, especially given the lack of clear revenue models for Ubisoft’s announced titles.”

On September 6, Ubisoft announced that Chinese gaming giant Tencent had invested approximately $304 million in its key stakeholder. The two companies have a strategic partnership, which includes the development of some Ubisoft mobile games, as well as the launch of PC titles in China.

While Ubisoft has released dozens of mobile games in the past, it often shuts down services for them over time. Of the dozens of Assassin’s Creed mobile titles that Ubisoft has released, the only one currently available on Android and Apple operating systems is the “Assassin’s Creed Rebellion” adventure game. Ubisoft discontinued “Mighty Quest for Epic Loot” in 2016 after thanking players for their time.

“Of course, for every game there is a cycle. So we can end a game if there aren’t enough users to get it,” said Jean-Michel Detoc, Ubisoft’s chief mobile officer. “We see a potential of replayability of [the upcoming] games that can last for years.”

Detoc added that Ubisoft decided to move forward with these franchises after discussions with Netflix about what would best suit its audience.

“We think Valiant Hearts is really something that can appeal to the general Netflix audience,” said Detoc. “It will be [set] in the First World War and it will be a sequel to the previous one. This narrative and linear game can really suit the users.”

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Netflix’s Verdu said players enjoy its games from all different genres and have different tastes.

“Our top games are very different. What you can say is that it is an audience that appreciates variety. If you look at Assassin’s Creed, it’s pretty obvious why we’d like to partner with Ubisoft to bring that to the platform,” Verdu said. “We’re looking for games and franchises that have lasting value and a special place in the hearts of people and may not be a perfect fit for the unforgiving free-to-play game ecosystem.”

Netflix’s games are live in the mobile streaming app and have an inelegant solution around Apple’s no-app stores within the app store rule: users can click on a game in the Netflix app and then be sent back to the App Store to download the game. If users already own the titles, these games can be launched by tapping the game icons in the Netflix app.

Verdu admitted that Netflix hasn’t marketed its games very prominently. The title row is only visible when users scroll down in the mobile app.

“You’re going to see some changes in the coming months that will bring games a little bit more exposure on the service, which is good,” Verdu said, referring to Netflix’s plans to improve its mobile gaming platform.

He added that in the long term, Netflix would like to use its algorithmic recommendations, which it is known for, on TV shows and movies to provide members of the audience with game suggestions.

“We think that with great personalization and recommendation, we can deliver games to our members that are highly relevant to our members and that will unlock the discovery in the long run, in a really profound way,” said Verdu. “That said, it will be a long time before you see that flower on the platform.”