It’s no secret that Netflix’s gaming ambitions haven’t quite taken off as hoped. The streaming giant shut down its AAA game development studio before it released any titles, and other acquired indie studios have been gradually disbanded. Is gaming still part of Netflix’s future plans? The co-CEO gave a definitive yes, though the future focus will be primarily on cloud gaming.
Ted Sarandos attended Bloomberg’s “Screen Time” summit this week, where he was asked (according to GameSpot) whether he believes Netflix will still be involved in gaming five years from now. Here’s his response:
I believe so. In fact, the most promising direction right now is this: mobile gaming once served as an entry point to cloud gaming, but we’re more interested in enabling richer gaming experiences on TV, with smartphones acting as controllers. Keep in mind that in the so-called post-console era, TV-based gaming will see all sorts of new opportunities.
And we want to be early movers in this space. I’m optimistic about how gaming can extend our IP, and I recognize its brand value—it allows us to offer options for users who don’t want to watch shows but would rather play games on their screens.
Judging by these remarks, Netflix seems to be aiming for low-cost, brand-linked casual games targeted at users who don’t typically play games. This is clearly not the kind of narrative-driven, immersive experience seen in titles like Lost in Random, released this summer by Night School Studio—the Netflix-owned developer behind Oxenfree. The studio was shut down just months later, which seems to signal the end of Netflix’s ambition to produce high-quality, first-party game content.
The question was raised at the event, along with whether Netflix is considering acquiring major game publishers like Take-Two, or buying stakes in Xbox if Microsoft decides to spin off the division. The Netflix co-CEO stated that the company currently has little interest in acquisitions.
“As everyone knows, we’ve never been a company that makes big acquisitions,” he explained. “Setting aside the Warner Bros. deal, we’ve always built our businesses from the ground up.” Sarandos added, “Our growth will mainly be driven internally, while also seeking opportunities that complement our existing operations, and the gaming business follows this same principle.”