In this illustrative photo taken, the Netflix logo can be seen on a laptop screen and a gamepad … [+]
Streaming platform Netflix
NFLX
Amir Rahimi made the announcement on the company’s official website in late September.
“I am pleased to announce today that we are establishing an in-house games studio in Helsinki, Finland with Marko Lastikka as studio director,” he said.
“This is another step in our vision to build a world-class games studio that will bring a variety of delightful and deep original games – with no ads and no in-app purchases – to our hundreds of millions of members around the world. ”
“Why Helsinki? It’s home to some of the best gaming talent in the world. This will be a games studio that we are building from the ground up and our second games studio in Helsinki alongside Next Games, which became part of Netflix earlier this year. Together with Night School Studio and Boss Fight Entertainment, these four studios, each with different strengths and focuses, will create games that cater to the diverse tastes of our members.”
“We’re just getting started and we still have a lot of work to do to provide a great gaming experience on Netflix. A game can take years to develop, so I’m proud to see us continue to build the foundation of our game studios in our first year, and look forward to sharing our production for years to come.”
Netflix entered the mobile gaming market a few years ago and has steadily expanded its presence in the sector. Originally, the goal was to use games to engage subscribers with additional content, such as the titles released around the platform’s hit series Stranger Things. Now it might even become an IP source from which series will grow. The games are available through the Netflix app.
(FromL) Netflix Director of Interactive Games Chris Lee, President of BonusXP Game Studio Dave … [+]
Commenting on the continued growth of the gaming sector and the new technology driving it, Thomas Grønnevik, CEO of award-winning Swedish gaming company Wasder AB said: “Gaming is one of the biggest industries in the world – but it’s changing fast. Gaming is now becoming an important part of youth culture. It’s already affecting everything from music and movies to the clothes and sneakers we wear. We even play games as part of our education and learning.”
“The people of GenZ are driving this cultural change forward with astonishing speed. The part where being a gamer was an identity is fading, we all play games now as part of our lifestyle.”
“I see Wasder at the center of this cultural shift – we want to be relatable, creative, good looking and laid back – but at the same time we want to drive change, be innovative and empower the new generation to express themselves, find like-minded people, share their stories and help create an inclusive ecosystem that is less toxic and divisive, where we all gather around common interests.”
Thomas Grønnevik – Netflix launches game development studio in Finland.
He continued, “I think the good thing about Netflix’s foray into gaming is that it makes the space more accessible and more accessible to everyone. In addition to boosting its popularity thanks to Netflix’s large user base. It is also a good idea to attract the younger generation to the platform.”
Netflix is also moving into virtual reality in hopes of becoming part of the next generation of gaming. In particular, the company is focused on bringing video games and virtual reality rights into copyright deals, again with the intention of expanding titles beyond just the viewer realm.
With the acquisition of numerous gaming studios over the past year, the platform is accelerating its plans into the sector, hopefully counting on it as a major source of revenue in the future.
