Reality TV contestants fiercely protect their appearance on screen. For Chloe Veitch, one of the breakout stars of Netflix's risqué dating series “Too Hot to Handle,” that kind of intense image control now includes her appearance as a digital character in the company's mobile video games.
His digital avatar appears prominently in a number of Netflix games based on the streaming giant's reality shows, including “Too Hot to Handle,” in which scantily clad contestants must form romantic connections while being penalized for wearing playful His animated character appears as a “love guru” who guides players through the gaming experience.
“My version of the game is almost identical,” Veitch said in an interview, noting that the game designers painstakingly copied his multiple tattoos. “She obviously doesn't have spots, she doesn't have hormonal imbalances, so I'm pretty jealous to be honest.”
She added: “I told the team when I was first developing in the game: you should make sure my breasts look big.”
The reality TV-inspired games are part of Netflix's growing library of mobile-only interactive offerings, which are available to subscribers of the streaming service.
The company's gaming service has around 100 titles, including 13 based on Netflix original shows. The Los Gatos, California streamer hopes that by offering these ad-free games to users, it will increase the amount of time people spend with the service. It also seeks to use its gaming operation to promote its programming and avoid subscriber “churn” or cancellations.
Netflix announced four new additions to its game slate on Thursday: “Netflix Stories: Perfect Match,” “Netflix Stories: Selling Sunset,” “Too Hot to Handle 3” and “The Ultimatum: Choices,” all based on the Netflix shows. reality of the company. . The games will be released alongside new seasons of the shows.
The idea is that by offering games on smartphones, Netflix can keep viewers engaged even between seasons of such popular shows as “Too Hot to Handle,” “Selling Sunset” and “Love is Blind,” increasing the likelihood of Let them tune in again.
“It's that amplification effect that if you love the show or you love the game, there's another version to dive into and enjoy that world,” said Brandon Riegg, Netflix's vice president of nonfiction series.
In the games, players can design their own characters and participate in adventure-style stories of their choice. The results can be as spicy as those in a romance novel. In the “Too Hot to Handle” games, for example, players must choose whether to remain chaste with the other animated contestants or break the rules by kissing or having sex in a suite.
Netflix has not released figures to measure the performance of its gaming business. But third-party data suggests that games based on reality shows have performed well for Netflix. “Too Hot to Handle: Love is a Game,” released in 2022, had an estimated 5.9 million installs, ranking it the fourth most popular Netflix mobile game as of November 2021, according to data firm Appfigures.
“These will be great hooks to attract new users, but they can also be a great incentive to avoid losing users,” said Randy Nelson, chief knowledge officer at Appfigures. “It keeps them in the Netflix world longer and they are exposed to more Netflix content. In the long term, this will be very positive for Netflix.”
Netflix began acquiring game studios in 2021 as it expanded into the popular entertainment medium. The company has released titles based on its original shows, as well as offerings from the studios it acquired. It also licenses other companies to create games based on franchises like “Grand Theft Auto.” Since their creation, Netflix games have achieved 119 million downloads, Appfigures estimates.
Netflix declined to comment on third-party download figures. In a January earnings presentation, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said the company had “tripled our commitment to gaming over the last year.” Netflix games remain a small part of the company's overall business, which has 270 million subscribers worldwide.
Subscribers have spent hours playing games based on reality shows, Netflix executives told The Times. Like the shows themselves, the games tend to attract a female audience.
In some cases, players first discover the games and then watch the reality series they are based on. In other cases, the games are chosen by fans of the show.
“Games can fuel fandom, but they can also create it,” said Sarah Springwater, story director of Netflix Stories, the library of interactive fictional games based on the company's shows.
The stories of games like “Too Hot to Handle 3” and “The Ultimatum: Choices” branch out depending on the decisions players make. Those games have more than 15 possible endings. That gives players room to explore and stay engaged longer, said Leanne Loombe, who leads external game development for Netflix.
“The thing about gaming is that it definitely allows you to participate for a longer period of time, and that's the opportunity we see,” Loombe said.
