It began by sending out DVDs and then became into a production and streaming powerhouse. Netflix now appears to be placing its next significant wager on the direction of gaming.
As its empire in mobile gaming grows, the streaming giant is launching its own internal video game studio in Helsinki, Finland, according to a Monday announcement from Netflix.
Forte said, “To Netflix’s credit, they’re a long-term thinker. If you think about their pivots, the DVDs to streaming, they think long-term and they act long-term.”
Given how much time individuals now spend playing and streaming video games, Forte noted that Netflix was especially adept in “identifying early” that gaming was a competitive threat to their audience. This transition also gives Netflix another option to make money off of some of its more well-known franchises, including the “Stranger Things” television show.
According to a blog post by Netflix’s VP of Game Studios, Marko Lastikka, a seasoned executive from gaming behemoths Zynga and Electronic Arts, will lead the new game firm.
Helsinki is “home to some of the best game talent in the world,” he continued, explaining why it was picked as the location for the new studio. Netflix purchased the Next Games studio, based in Helsinki, earlier this year. However, the new studio will be created “from scratch,” according to Rahimi.
With Monday’s announcement, Netflix now has four gaming studios in total. The business had already purchased Night School Studio and Boss Fight Entertainment in addition to Next Games. Rahimi from Netflix claimed that each studio has “different strengths and focus areas” and that they will work together to create a wide range of games for Netflix subscribers.
