Back in July, we had made our readers aware of Netflix’s strategy to diversify its existing portfolio beyond its staple programming that primarily includes movies and television shows, by venturing into the gaming world. Netflix had hired former Electronic Arts and Facebook executive Mike Verdu as Vice President of game development.
And now, in a further push to its gaming foray, Netflix has acquired gaming developer Night School Studios, which is well known for their critically acclaimed supernatural thriller game ‘Oxenfree’. The news was confirmed both by Netflix and Night School Studios. This makes it the first games studio to join Netflix, which is currently in the early stages of building a games portfolio for its subscribers.
Regarding the recent acquisition, Mike Verdu (VP, Game Development at Netflix) had stated that “We’ll continue working with developers around the world and hiring the best talent in the industry to deliver a great collection of exclusive games designed for every kind of gamer and any level of play. Like our shows and films, these games will all be included as part of your Netflix membership — all with no ads and no in-app purchases. Stay tuned for more.”
Besides acquiring Night School Studios, Netflix has already launched a few mobile games in select European markets to test the water before taking the further plunge into the gaming segment. Netflix has introduced the gaming titles “Stranger Things: 1984”, “Stranger Things 3: The Game”, “Card Blast”, “Teeter Up” and “Shooting Hoops” to its members in the European countries namely Poland (initial test) followed by Spain and Italy.
However, currently, the games can be played only by Android mobile phone users in these countries. Interested Netflix subscribers can install these games via the Google Play Store. After installing, the aforementioned five games can be played through the Netflix app. It remains to be confirmed by Netflix regarding when these games might be rolled out in other countries including India.