Summary
It has taken a ridiculously long time for the smash-hit TV showSquid Gameto get a video game adaptation, but it is finally coming in the form ofSquid Game: Unleashed. ThisFall Guys-esque title pits players against each other in a series of physics-based minigames, with losing players being eliminated until there’s only one left. It looks like a fair attempt at adapting the show without literally just recreating the games from it, giving players fun gameplay to come back to repeatedly.
However, while there’s little doubtSquid Game: Unleashedwill be a successful game when it launches, and potentially evenone of the best free multiplayer games, it is already making one crucial mistake that could see its player count plummet. This is a game that should attract millions of people at launch, but certain restrictions could see that number be significantly lower. Unfortunately,Netflix’s controversial decision is not only a huge slap in the face to fans, but it also makesSquid Game: Unleashedfeel like a wasted opportunity.
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Squid Game: Unleashed Being A Mobile Exclusive Is A Huge Waste
Squid Game: Unleashed Isn’t Coming To Consoles At Launch
Squid Game: Unleashedbeing a mobile exclusive is a bold mistake to makeright out of the gate. While it’s understandable thatSquid Game: Unleashedwould be released on mobile, it seems counter-intuitive not to release it on consoles and PC at launch. Naturally, there are more people with mobile devices than there are consoles, but for a competitive multiplayer experience, especially one as frantic asSquid Game: Unleashedappears, players are more likely to play it on a console or PC than they are on their phone, much like withFall Guys.
It is certainly possible thatSquid Game: Unleashedwill be ported to consoles after its initial mobile release. However, outside a few exceptions, most games either have simultaneous releases across all platforms or launch on PC and consoles first before transitioning to mobile likeFall Guys.
Netflix has always prioritized mobile devices when it comes to its extensive catalog of games, but its mobile ports are generally poorly received.Squid Game: Unleashedis likely to get buried beneath the myriad of other multiplayer experiences on mobile, and without a PC or console player base, who have far fewer options in that genre, to prop it up, it could sink before it sails.Squid Game: Unleashedcould easily beone of the best online games, but it’s likely wasting its potential by locking itself to exclusively mobile devices.
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Squid Game: Unleashed Has To Be Played In The Netflix App
It Isn’t Its Own Separate App
However, perhaps the most baffling mistake Netflix is making withSquid Game: Unleashedis that it has to be played exclusively within the Netflix app. Players cannot downloadSquidGame: Unleashedas a separate application like every other mobile game in existence. Instead, players will need to boot up the Netflix app, have a Netflix subscription, and then playSquid Game: Unleashedthere.
It’s not hard to see how Netflix came to this conclusion, especially considering the enormous brand value thatSquid Gamenow has, thanks to the popularity of the first season.Netflix clearly wants to capitalize on its likely success and get more people subscribing to the Netflix appin order to play it. However, it is a bad move, one that will make it inaccessible to a lot of people who can’t afford to pay a monthly fee to access it, and will turn off players who would rather not play a game in the Netflix app.
Players won’t be able to access it via the Netflix app on consoles or their PC. The only way to playSquid Game: Unleashedis through the Netflix app on a mobile device.
Hopefully, Netflix will realize that it’s drastically limiting its player base by keepingSquid Game:Unleashedlocked to both the Netflix app and mobile devices. It’s possible that after its initial release date, players will see the game on consoles and PCs. However, for now, Netflix is standing by this mistake and keepingSquid Game: Unleashedout of console and PC players' hands.
