Television is more or less deceased thanks to streaming services, but some are trying to expand their territory. Netflix has made some interesting decisions lately, but the biggest is deciding to open a games studio in Helsinki, Finland. The company has been making strides towards gaming by releasing mobile titles, and now aims to make even more based on the properties under its name. Due to heavy competition and recent changes to its service, Netflix is looking for new sources of revenue which will be bringing new games to your phone.
The Netflix Games Studio
Although Netflix Games has already launched, it never had a sense of presence. However, with the founding of the company’s game studio, that’s about to change. The decision to set up the studio in Helsinki is partly due to a partnership with Marko Lastikka. Lastikka made a name for himself as the general manager of Zynga, the online mobile gaming platform. The purpose of this studio is to allow Netflix to develop original games. This is likely to include games and apps that are based on or inspired by films and series in the company’s library. Despite all these moves to push their games, there hasn’t been a significant demand for them.
Even though this is the first games studio bearing the Netflix name, it’s not the first one they’ve acquired. They also have Next Games, Boss Fight Entertainment, and Night School Studio. Next Games is notable for having released titles based on The Walking Dead and Stranger Things, two of Netflix’s most-watched series. Night School Studio is best known for the highly successful Oxenfree and the upcoming Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals. However, Netflix has had the most success with its Netflix Games service which has made certain titles like Into The Breach available to anyone with a subscription. Still, the number of users is likely to drop significantly with the upcoming price increase.
Netflix is still one of the top streaming services but it really wants to be taken seriously as a gaming company. With now a fourth studio under the name operating out of Finland, the company will just have to let the quality of its mobile games speak for itself.
