Netflix is branching out, and it has announced the founding of an internal game studio that would spearhead its venture into the video game industry. Though primarily focused on television shows and movies when it comes to media, Netflix's collaborations with video game publishers such as CD Projekt Red and Riot have yielded the immensely popular and critically acclaimed Arcane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Both of these television shows have been a huge boon to the respective games that they spun off from, with Edgerunners giving Cyberpunk 2077 its highest player peak since launch. The amount of synergy between the two media, when successful, cannot be denied and the popularity of Arcane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners could have been a key point in this decision.
Amir Rahimi, the VP of Netflix's game studios, announced that the headquarters for this new branch was located in Helsinki, Finland – helmed by Marko Lastikka as the studio director. Rahimi went on to say that one of the guiding principles of Netflix's foray into the video game industry would be a lack of monetization, ads, and in-app purchases. The studio would build original games for the diverse audience that Netflix has cultivated over the years.
This internal studio would be built from scratch and would join Next Games, Night School Studio, and Boss Fight Entertainment to form the core of Netflix's video games branch. Netflix had previously acquired Night School Studio last year, the developers of indie hit Oxenfree, while Next Games and Boss Fight Entertainment were acquired this April.
It was obvious that Netflix Games was gearing up for a big announcement when the string of studio acquisitions started rolling out, but it may take several years before consumers see the fruits of this labor. Developing a video game on any ambitious scale, even with a well-equipped studio, is no small task. It can be expected that the first two years of operations for Netflix Games would center on green-lighting the right projects and establishing a strong foundation for these interactive experiences.
Though it is to be expected that developing original games (possibly in connection with its intellectual properties) would be the primary focus of Netflix Games going forward, one important thing to remember is that Netflix has also dabbled in the realm of video game streaming through the Stranger Things games. It remains to be seen whether this becomes part of its future as Netflix joins the gaming industry, and whether the price of a Netflix subscription will be affected by this development.
Source: Netflix