Netflix has been pouring in efforts to push into the gaming market. After launching two Stranger Things games for testing in 2021, the streamer went on to join forces with Ubisoft and form its own video game studio. Now that the groundwork has been established, it’s ready to make the next leap.
According to a new report from The Wall Steet Journal, Netflix is currently in talks with developer Take-Two Interactive for a licensing deal to release a Grand Theft Auto title. No further details, such as whether it’ll be a brand-new game or if the discussions have borne fruit, were shared, however.
The update comes after the streaming service’s recent acquisition of Oxenfree makers Night School Studio, Cozy Grove team Spry Fox, and Next Games, the folks behind Stranger Things puzzle-RPG Puzzle Tales. While the plan is to “expand into higher-end games that can be streamed from TVs or PCs”, the company will also look at adapting their own properties, including its Sherlock Holmes series, Black Mirror, and the Chris Hemsworth-led Extraction movies.
Per the publication, Netflix believes a more significant gaming presence will attract new subscribers and retain existing ones by having additional content to fill up the waiting time between seasons. It’s a strategy that can swing both ways — either the platform get enough firepower to join the big boys of cloud gaming, or it could go down the unfortunate route of Google Stadia.
In fact, the failure of now-discontinued service often looms over internal meetings at Netflix, with employees questioning why it’s “looking to go deeper into a market where such a titan has failed.” Only time will tell if Netflix Games took the right approach.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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