Netflix Invests $65 Million in Gamedev; Buys Another Studio
Netflix is buying a second development studio. This is further evidence of the growing importance of video games in the entertainment industry.
VOD platform Netflix, associated primarily with films and TV series, continues to invest in the video game industry. Finnish developer Next Games, specializing in mobile games, is the second studio acquired by the VOD giant.
The transaction value amounts to USD 65 million. It is expected to be finalized in the second quarter of this year.
Michael Verdu, vice president of games at Netflix, announces, that:
"While we’re just getting started in games, I am confident that together with Next Games we will be able to build a portfolio of world class games that will delight our members around the world.”
Next Games has experience in creating titles based on licenses from well-known series. The studio is responsible for Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales and The Walking Dead: No Man's Land.
The first studio acquired by Netflix was Night School Studio, known for the series of adventure games Oxenfree.
It's fair to say that Netflix's gaming adventure began in 2018 with a special episode of Black Mirror. Bandersnatch has been compared to video games described as interactive movies, in which the player's task is to make decisions, and the gameplay as such is significantly limited. This genre also includes Minecraft Story Mode by Telltale.
This is another acquisition report in 2022. Within two months we learned of Microsoft's plans to buy Activision Blizzard and Sony's for Bungie.
