Jackbox games are coming to smart TVs

Jackbox Games are going to be available on smart TVs as part of a new cloud streaming service, according to a blog post. Jackbox aims to launch a beta of the service on “one or two smart TV platforms in the Spring of 2025.”

Generally, Jackbox titles are offered in bundles called “Party Packs” that you can play on platforms like game consoles and PCs. This new native smart TV app could make it easier to jump into a Jackbox game, since you won’t need to launch the titles from a device like a game console.

To start, this Jackbox service will only offer a “small collection” of “ad-supported” games for free. But down the line, Jackbox plans to “also offer our entire catalog of games for a subscription fee.” (You can already subscribe to a Jackbox Games channel on Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service for $4.99 per month to access the Jackbox catalog.)

Jackbox’s service relies on Amazon’s new AWS GameLift Streams technology that lets companies build their own cloud gaming apps and experiences. GameLift Streams is also being used by companies like Bandai Namco, which relies on it to “stream an immersive metaverse platform to fans of its Gundam franchise,” according to a press release.