Don’t Hold Your Breath for Netflix Game Rentals

The idea appears to have gone the way of Qwikster.

It was a little over two weeks ago when Netflix announced that they would, in fact, not be splitting their DVD service off into the short-lived idea known as Qwikster. This left customers feeling slightly better about the many changes at the company, but it also left aspects of the original Qwikster announcement — such as game rentals — up in the air. Things are just as hazy now, according to a report from IndustryGamers. In a recent meeting with investors, CEO Reed Hastings was quoted as saying, “We have yet to decide whether or not to offer video game discs. The decision will have little financial impact either way.”

My personal take? When there’s not a financial upside to a big, new potential change for a company, it probably means there won’t be a change. Especially when you’re a company trying to find a way to recover from a 71% share drop since last July, and losing over 800,000 customers in the last three months. Although, at this point I fail to see how adding a big market like games wouldn’t bolster the service.

Robert Hill-Williams
Robert Hill-Williams
Robert Hill-Williams

MASH Veteran

The only things Rob has been doing longer than gaming are breathing, sleeping, eating, and reading. RPGs were what made him view games as an experience instead of a distraction, but these days he likes and plays every genre gaming has to offer. Outside of his usual reviews and articles on MTB, you can find Rob on the weekly Mashcast and frequenting Twitter.

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