'Alto's Odyssey' creator teases 'Laya's Horizon' game coming to Netflix

Toronto-based game developer Snowman has a new game coming. The team known for creating the soothing snowboarding  Alto series teases its upcoming title called Laya's Horizon. There really isn't much we can glean from the new video teaser, except we see a beautiful seaside village in the mountains and a caped character we assume to be Laya. What we do know is the game is coming to Netflix, which offers mobile games as part of its subscription. Laya's Horizon will be the second release on the platform following Lucky Luna. 

Snowman hasn't shared a release date yet. But these collaborations with Netflix aren't the developer's only foray into mobile game subscriptions. There is an updated version of Alto's Odyssey available on Apple Arcade.

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Netflix slashes prices in over 30 countries

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Unfortunately, that doesn't extend to Canada. Netflix is trying to find what it calls the right balance between global revenue and subscriber growth as viewer habits change post-lockdowns. The streaming service has cut prices for some of its tiers by as much as half in parts of Europe (Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria), the Middle East (Yemen, Jordan, Libya and Iran), Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines), Sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya), and Latin America (Nicaragua, Ecuador and Venezuela).

In Netflix’s January earnings call, co-CEO Greg Peters said the company wants to find areas where it can raise prices to help fund new content investments. The regional price increases allow the service to add subscribers to global markets where its share could be higher. As mentioned, though, Netflix has been raising fees in this part of the world, including that new monthly fee for those password sharing. In Canada, this fee has rolled out and costs $8 a month.

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What we know about Netflix's password-sharing crackdown

Netflix began testing its password crackdown last year. That entailed the service charging extra for those who shared their accounts with people outside of their households. Now, Netflix has plans to release this widely as an official feature or condition for the service. The streaming service hasn't shared the complete details for this feature. But the company is looking for ways to "monetize account sharing" after it recorded its deepest subscriber loss in a decade.

We don't know yet how much it'll cost when Netflix brings it here. But it has varied in the countries where Netflix was testing the option. The service will start rolling out the account-sharing fees before the end of March, with a full, global rollout in the next couple of quarters. The rollout will be progressive across markets. Netflix doesn't plan to start charging everyone globally at the same time. Instead, it'll start in a few places and go from there.

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Bond with your Bumble match over Netflix shows through new in-app game

Image: Bumble

Bumble and Netflix have partnered to host a weekly in-app Netflix-themed game called Netflix Nights In. You can play against your match to see who can answer the questions correctly. A recent Bumble survey found that 78% of users think it's easier to talk to matches if they have similar tastes in movies and TV shows. 

Netflix Nights In will start on Monday, January 30, and end on March 13. The game will be available to Bumble users in the US, Canada, and the UK. Every Monday, the question will revolve around one show, including Emily in Paris, Stranger Things, Squid Game, Selling Sunset, Love Is Blind, and Outer Banks. The correct answer won't be revealed until both users pick their responses.

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