Netflix will start publishing video games, and EA has previously hired an exec

[ad_1]

Zoom/Netflix as a game publisher: We know this is happening. But we have many questions about what form her service will take.

Netflix’s growing fascination with video games will soon explode into the full arm of game publishing.

While Netflix has yet to release its own announcement about the initiative, streaming video provider Ars Technica has confirmed that it has previously hired EA and an Oculus exec to lead the Netflix game publishing team.

The newly appointed CEO is Mike Verdu, who most recently worked in developer relations with the Oculus VR team at Facebook (his public profile still says that’s his current job). He’s been developing and publishing games since the early 1990s, and GT Interactive eventually acquired the first studio, Legend Entertainment.

While Netflix has yet to confirm what form the video game publishing arm might take, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gorman has suggested that the effort could lead to “video games.” [as part of] service next year. Using ‘video games’ as a recipe is key, as that differentiates the effort from the TV shows ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ that have become more popular in the service since Black Mirror’s ‘Bandersnatch’ special debuted in 2018. Does that mean more Belmont action?

Additionally, Netflix has spent the past half-decade creating a handful of exclusive TV series based on video game licenses, including an animated series based on Castlevania and Dota 2, and a live-action version of the critically acclaimed The Witcher (its second season is due launch later this year). Perhaps Konami’s long hiatus from the Castlevania games with Netflix as a publishing partner in the mix could change. (Then again, maybe we should slip our heels down and see if Netflix’s first-ever slate of games revolves around unfamiliar characteristics like the asshole dating show Sexy Beasts, the hilarious Tiger King cast, or crossed fingers, the absurd theatrical comedy I Think You should leave.)

Ads

However, we’ve seen solid release schedules compelling major new game publishing efforts as recently as this year, with Google loudly closing its Stadia game development studios after two years of development and no releases. If Netflix sticks to a short schedule like “next year,” the streaming giant will likely focus on mini-releases, if not games that were already in the works for years before today’s announcement.

And while Netflix currently enjoys massive exposure with its popular app, we don’t know if the app itself will support streaming games on all current devices and operating systems, each of which comes with its own hiccups. Additionally, if a stable internet connection is required, is Netflix poised to offer competitive cloud-based latency? And would such a service require installation tricks to bypass strict storefront rules about games that are individually reviewed and rated?

Until Netflix clarifies its exact launch strategy and back-end solution, we’re left wondering how it’s going to compete with a growing abundance of cloud-based and download-based game subscription services.

[ad_2]