This Aug. 13, 2020, photo shows a logo for Netflix on a remote control in Portland, Ore. Netflix reported its worst slowdown in subscriber growth in eight years as people emerge from their pandemic cocoons. But it has an answer to that: Video games. On Tuesday, July 20, 2021 the streaming giant announced plans to begin adding video games to its existing subscription plans at no extra cost. The confirmation of the long-anticipated expansion came in conjunction with the release of its latest earnings report.

Netflix confirms move to add video games to its plans

SAN RAMON, Calif. — Netflix reported its worst slowdown in subscriber growth in eight years as people emerged from their pandemic cocoons. But it has an answer to that: Video games.

On Tuesday, the streaming giant announced plans to begin adding video games to its existing subscription plans at no extra cost. It didn't release details except to note that it will initially focus on mobile games.

The confirmation of the long-anticipated gaming expansion came in conjunction with the release of the latest Netflix earnings report.

That financial breakdown showed the video service added 1.5 million subscribers during the April-June period. That's slightly better than the modest increase that management forecast after the service stumbled to a sluggish start during the winter months, but still far below its growth rate in recent years.

The 5.5 million subscribers that Netflix gained through the first six months of this year mark its weakest first-half performance since 2013.