Crunchyroll is following in Netflix’s footsteps and offering free mobile games to some of its subscribers.
The anime streaming service on Tuesday unveiled Crunchyroll Game Vault, which includes five games available to members on its Mega and Ultimate Fan tiers, the upper two tiers of its subscription plans. The games include Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions, River City Girls, Wolfstride, Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery, and inbento.
The games are available to subscribers through its smartphone app on iOS or Android.
Game Vault represents an expansion of Crunchyroll’s offering beyond old and current anime offered either with subtitles or dubbed in English. It appears to be similar to a move made by Netflix, which also offers a selection of games, with the original batch popular mobile titles.
Netflix said it plans to invest in more sophisticated games, and wants to tap its stable of original shows and movies as the basis for these titles. In August, the company quietly unveiled a Netflix Game Controller app in Apple’s App Store, which would turn your iPhone into a virtual controller for games on the television.
Crunchyroll may not have the same ambitions, but it has been looking to expand its reach. The company began offering its streaming service on Amazon’s Prime Video Channels platform as an add-on option.
The basic plan is $7.99 a month, while the Mega Fan tier is $9.99 and the Ultimate Fan tier is $14.99 a month.