Netflix has announced plans to establish an internal game studio in Finland, bringing the company's total number of game studios up to four.
The new internal game studio in Helsinki, Finland, will be built from scratch. It joins the existing three game studios (Next Games, Night School Studio, Boss Fight Entertainment) that Netflix has acquired.
- "Today, I’m excited to announce that we are establishing an internal games studio in Helsinki, Finland, with Marko Lastikka as the studio director. This is another step in our vision to build a world-class games studio that will bring a variety of delightful and deeply engaging original games — with no ads and no in-app purchases — to our hundreds of millions of members around the world," said Amir Rahimi, VP of Game Studios at Netflix.
Netflix's games are included in all user's subscription plan and can be found from within the Netflix app. Photo: Netflix
Next step, cloud gaming?
At this time, Netflix is only offering games for download on mobile devices – ARM-based gaming – but it has said that the initiative will expand over time. The company is currently hiring people with cloud gaming experience, according to a report by Protocol last month.
Much like Microsoft's Xbox app, cloud gaming will allow Netflix to bring games to Smart TVs, media boxes, and even game consoles – if the gatekeepers allow.
Netflix recently announced a partnership with Ubisoft to create three mobile games in the Valiant Hearts, Mighty Quest and Assassin's Creed universes. Last week, it released Oxenfree: Netflix Edition from Night School Studio, ahead of the sequel coming out next year.
- "It’s still early days, and we have much more work to do to deliver a great games experience on Netflix. Creating a game can take years, so I’m proud to see how we’re steadily building the foundation of our games studios in our first year, and look forward to sharing what we produce in the coming years," said Amir Rahimi.
