Netflix will form its first in-house game studio based in Helsinki, Finland. Marko Lastikka, who used to work at Zynga and EA, will be its director. According to Engadget, Netflix’s game studio will create “world class” games that will not have ads or in-app purchases. However, there is no news as to when to expect its first game. [Thanks, Eurogamer!]
While Netflix is mostly a streaming service, it hosts a number of games on its platforms, mostly developed by third-party studios. It has also acquired studios in the past, such as Night School Studio in 2021 and Boss Fight Entertainment in March 2022. This will be the first time that Netflix will develop games internally. Gaming on Netflix means being able to access a library of free games that have no advertisements or microtransactions.
In terms of Netflix’s game library, Netflix-hosted games are mostly hosted via its Android and iOS apps. The “games” tab in the Netflix app offers such titles as Lucky Luna, Before Your Eyes, and an enhanced version of Into the Breach. The Netflix app also hosts exclusive titles based on Netflix properties, like a series of games based on Stranger Things, and Hextech Mayhem, based on League of Legends. Most people may not know Netflix offers this, though:less than 1% of Netflix’s subscribers play games from its library on a daily basis, reportedly.
The Netflix app is available on multiple devices and via browser. At this time there are no details on what games Netflix’s planned studio will develop or when to expect them. A game based on the Kingdom live-action series is in development for PC and mobile.
