By creating an in-house game studio, Netflix is joining its recently acquired developer partners to gain a foothold in the video game industry.

Netflix is expanding and has announced the creation of an internal games studio to manage its presence in the video games industry. While its media focus is primarily on TV shows and movies, the streaming provider’s partnerships with video game publishers such as CD Projekt Red and Riot have resulted in the hugely popular and critically acclaimed Arcane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

Both TV series were a huge boon to the games they were associated with – Edgerunners produced the biggest player-break of Cyberpunk 2077 since its release!

Amir Rahimi, Vice President of Game Studios at Netflix, announced that the new branch would be headquartered in Helsinki, Finland – under the direction of Studio Director Marko Lastikka. Rahimi also said that one of the guiding principles for their entry into the video game industry would be monetisation, with no ads and no in-app purchases. The studio would create original games for the diverse audience that the operator has developed over the years.

This in-house studio would be built from scratch and would form the core of Netflix’s video game division alongside Next Games, Night School Studio and Boss Fight Entertainment. The company had previously acquired Night School Studio, the developers of indie hit Oxenfree, last year, while Next Games and Boss Fight Entertainment were acquired in April this year.

It was clear that Netflix Games was set to make a big announcement when the string of studio acquisitions started rolling in, but it could be years before consumers see the fruits of this labour.

Developing a video game on any ambitious scale, even with a well-equipped studio, is no small task. It is expected that within the first two years of the studio’s operation, suitable projects will be green-lighted, and a strong foundation for these interactive experiences should be established.

While it is expected that the development of original games (possibly related to its intellectual property) would be the primary focus of Netflix Games in the future, it is essential to note that they have already ventured into the realm of video game streaming through the Stranger Things games. It remains to be seen whether this development will affect subscription prices.

Source: Netflix