Netflix Is Opening Its Own Video Game Studio In Huge Pivot To Gaming
As Netflix celebrates in 25th anniversary, the platform is looking to expand its offerings beyond just streaming television shows and movies, hoping to retain customers following subscription losses.
Last year, it made its first foray into the burgeoning video game market with the release of a mobile game lineup, beginning with users on the Android ecosystem. Two of the titles included in the launch are based on the popular Stranger Things universe.
Now, looking to grow its gaming department, the company has announced it will be building its own in-house video game studio in Helsinki, Finland. According to the firm, it chose Helsinki because it is home to “some of the best game talent in the world.”
The studio will be under the oversight of Marko Lastikka, a veteran hailing from gaming firms Zynga and Electronic Arts. This new branch, along with the acquired Next Games, Night Studio School, and Boss Fight Entertainment, will focus on different areas to develop games to suit customers’ diverse tastes.
“This is another step in our vision to build a world-class games studio that will bring a variety of delightful and deeply engaging original games—with no ads and no in-app purchases—to our hundreds of millions of members around the world,” says Amir Rahimi, Vice President of Game Studios at Netflix.
Of course, as Rahimi mentions, creating games can take years, so fans may have to wait a little before anything bears fruit from the new studio.
