Hey, Remember When Netflix Was Going to Rent Video Games? Yeah, That's Not Happening

Not really interested either way. Also, I totally thought that picture was Ryan McDonald from Gamespot before I read the caption. Also, I love your writing style Alex. Never change.

Looks like I am not renting games still.

I remember when Netflix came out with good things to stream too. That also doesnt happen anymore. "Where is my season 4 of Eureka"

Netflix early on should have bought Gamefly . . . birds of a feather. If Netflix was to have go discless, then they could have bought/merged Onlive with Gamefly, IMO.

@DarkDude: The disc rental service (Qwikster) was never intended to come to the UK, so game rentals would also be out of the question.

Currently still on my Netflix free month but may stay on to continue some TV shows I've started watching.

Interesting how things are going in the US for Netflix at the moment... They launched in the UK this month and so-far they're a nice little addition to my Lovefilm subscription but hardly close to being a competitor especially as Amazon do Streaming, Bluray, DVD and games. I don't see how they are going to ever be anything but a cheap addition for their different TV shows for streaming. Maybe thats the plan but I can see Amazon simply buying the rights to the shows they have out from under them as they have more money to throw around than Netflix.

@Xaviersx said:

Netflix early on should have bought Gamefly . . . birds of a feather. If Netflix was to have go discless, then they could have bought/merged Onlive with Gamefly, IMO.

If they would've been willing to pay Gamefly's asking price. Something tells me GF wouldn't want to sell. Plus, I don't know that Netflix would want to spend the money expanding Gamefly's reach. They wouldn't just start stocking game discs in warehouses that are probably already stocked to the brim with movies no one is renting. So they would have to start either building more distribution centers to expand and quicken gamefly's delivery to netflix standards, or convert Netflix distribs to gamefly distribs.

On the topic, i knew this was coming, gamefly is already established in the market, and with the quaky grounds netflx is on i dont know that they would want to take on GF.

Great article Alex got a laugh out of it multiple times, AND Holy shit what another goddamn surprise Alex writes an article People Bitch Bitch Bitch. Alex and Patrick are like the scapegoats of this communities anger management problems.

@ThePilgrums said:

@Evilsbane said:

Alex and Patrick are like the scapegoats of this communities anger management problems.

A great way to put it.

Agreed

@Deusoma said:

@Evilsbane said:

Great article Alex got a laugh out of it multiple times, AND Holy shit what another goddamn surprise Alex writes an article People Bitch Bitch Bitch. Alex and Patrick are like the scapegoats of this communities anger management problems.

The hell you talking about? The people love Klepek. Alex, sure, guy's a douche, but hating Patrick would be like hating a bright summer day or a basket of kittens.

Lay off Alex, man... if you had to review Big Rigs for Gamespot, you'd be surly too...

To hell with Patrick... and his basket of kittens.

Yeah, this wasn't really the big and interesting news from the call. The interesting news was that Hastings believes that Amazon is going to start adding a lot of business to its streaming service as well as have a lower price point than Netflix, but they don't think that will impact Netflix due to its large library. Of course, that library's continued largeness is of concern going forward. Especially as licensing deals expier with Starz in about a month. Also, dealing in delivery of physical video game media would be silly to get started in when there is already competition in that arena and the future is ultimately going digital. Something Netflix saw years ahead of everyone else in the video market.

The disc service SHOULD be completely separate from the streaming service. Leave it to the internet to destroy a decent idea with poorly planned execution, then piss all over it like it wasn't their faults it failed before it ever began. And Alex, I don't know what universe you live in where the drugs you mention have the effects you describe.

Quikster would have been the best thing to ever happen for streaming video. Now Netflix is still chained to a old dying mule, which it will eventually break free from and upgrade its online library, hopefully at a higher cost and upgraded UI. But for now the changes will be slow and painfully drawn out. Hopefully their original programming will take off and speed up the inevitable.

Video game rentals via Netflix was never gonna happen. Too much conflict of interest. Sure, Netflix has been absent-minded of late, but they're not crazy enough to spit in Microsoft/Sony's face by offering game rentals. They're smart enough to know Microsoft/Sony (probably Nintendo too) would immediately pull the plug on Netflix's streaming service if a profit-sharing deal wasn't worked out in advance. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo each sent Netflix similar reactionary memos flat out warning, "DO NOT RENT GAMES LEST YOU SUFFER OUR WRATH." You may disagree, but I think Netflix needs MS/Sony far more than MS/Sony need Netflix. They're still in the games business first and foremost. Can the prospect of renting games really outweigh the fallout of pissing off MS, Sony, and Nintendo, the used/rental-hating entities that helped make Netflix streaming a success in the first place? Nope. Hence no game rentals.

@LooseChange said:

I need to start making major life decisions while flipping out on acid.

I think I'll start doing that as well. It sounds far more exciting than the way I currently make decisions.

@Deusoma said:

@Evilsbane said:

Great article Alex got a laugh out of it multiple times, AND Holy shit what another goddamn surprise Alex writes an article People Bitch Bitch Bitch. Alex and Patrick are like the scapegoats of this communities anger management problems.

The hell you talking about? The people love Klepek. Alex, sure, guy's a douche, but hating Patrick would be like hating a bright summer day or a basket of kittens.

You mad bro go check any of the videos featuring Klepek and scroll on down to the wash of comment hate.

Alex and Rorie write the best articles on these sites. Haters gon' hate.

@Deusoma said:

@Evilsbane: Aside from automatically invalidating your point by beginning it with not only a tired Internet meme but a misquoted Internet meme, I'm still not sure what you're talking about, people seem to treat Patrick like their favourite younger brother around here.

...I'm not making a point I am stating a fact he gets just about as much hate as Alex does and I wasn't quoting anything but whatever you don't seem worth talking to and learn to spell.