Netflix seems to be going all into gaming, as it has 55 games currently in development. There are also games based on its franchises currently in the works.
According to an investor letter that was released on October 18 (via The Verge), Netflix will be focused on creating new hit games. The company said its first year of launching games was about establishing its gaming infrastructure and understanding how subscribers interact with them. With the service having 35 games on its service, it sees “encouraging signs of gameplay leading to higher retention.”
“With 55 more games in development, including more games based on Netflix IP, we’re focused in the next few years on creating hit games that will take our game initiative to the next level,” the company said. It also sees potential around content that crosses between TV or film and games.
Netflix also opened a new development studio in Southern California, continuing its expansion into the space. The new studio will be helmed by former Blizzard Vice President and Overwatch Head Chako Sonny. “He could have done anything, but he chose to come here,” said Netflix’s VP of gaming, Mike Verdu. “You don’t get people like that coming to your organization to build the next big thing in gaming unless there’s a sense that we’re really in it for the long haul and in it for the right reasons.”
The streaming giant is seemingly looking to make even cloud gaming part of its service. It also launched ‘game handles’ – its own version of gamertags for mobile games. Despite Netflix setting sights on the space, it appears that less than one percent of its subscribers actually play games on the platform.