Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says games will probably still be part of Netflix in five years
Ted Sarandos said at Bloomberg Screentime 2026 that Netflix will likely still offer games in five years, with cloud gaming a bigger focus than mobile.
- Sarandos described mobile games as a stepping stone to cloud gaming and said Netflix is more interested in that than in mobile games.
- Netflix currently offers mobile games through a Netflix membership and also has TV games, while its earlier AAA ambitions have been scaled back.
What happened
During Bloomberg Screentime 2026, Bloomberg journalist Lucas Shaw spoke with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos about the company’s growth strategy. When asked whether Netflix would still be in games five years from now, Sarandos said he thinks so. That was an expectation, not a formal new product announcement.
Sarandos also said, according to the reporting, that Netflix sees mobile games as a stepping stone toward cloud gaming. He said Netflix has far more interest in cloud gaming than in mobile gaming, and that this fits better in a world where consoles are less central.
Netflix currently offers mobile games that are included with a Netflix membership and do not show ads. The company also has streaming games for TV, which the source describes as aimed at family and party play. Earlier, Netflix scaled back its larger AAA game plans, including by closing studios and laying off staff.
Timeline
2026-10-01: Ted Sarandos speaks with Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw during Bloomberg Screentime 2026 about Netflix and gaming.
2026-10-01: Sarandos says he expects Netflix to still be offering games in five years.
2026-10-01: Sarandos says cloud gaming matters more to Netflix than mobile gaming.
Earlier: Netflix built toward larger AAA game plans, but later scaled them back and closed studios.
Background
Netflix has been experimenting with games for some time as part of its platform strategy. In the current reporting, that includes a mix of mobile games, TV games, and a possible move toward cloud gaming. The core of Sarandos’ comments is that Netflix is not abandoning games, but shifting its focus.
The sources also note that Netflix previously leaned more heavily into AAA development, but later pulled back from that direction. As a result, the emphasis is now less on large in-house game productions and more on a model Sarandos says better fits cloud gaming and a post-console world.