The streaming giant looks to expand its operations in the field of gaming, Bloomberg reports. So, I guess the much-touted Netflix of gaming is going to be Netflix Gaming, after all.
Netflix has become the latest industry giant to throw its hat into the ever-expanding gaming industry. According to a major scoop by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw and Mark Gurman, the company has hired Facebook’s former vice president Mike Verdu, who was “in charge of working with developers to bring games and other content to Oculus virtual-reality headsets.”
Now the vice president of game development at Netflix Gaming, Mike will report to Netflix Chief Operating Officer, Greg Peters. It has been reported that Netflix should launch its gaming department by the end of next year. The games will come to Netflix as part of a new genre, like documentaries and Stand-up comedy. The unidentified source of Bloomberg also reported that a raise to Netflix’s price isn’t in the plans for now.
Netflix joins Facebook and Amazon as major companies gunning for the top of the gaming industry. It is to be noted that both Facebook and Amazon were less than successful in their ventures, with Amazon Gaming now being just a skeletal existence and Facebook’s streaming platform and Oculus partnerships also not performing very well. Netflix seemingly has a tough road ahead.
Also Read- New NBA 2K22 leaks- Cover and Versions Revealed
Netflix has had several forays into gaming even before the existence of Netflix Gaming. Innovative releases such as Minecraft: Story Mode and Black Mirror Bandersnatch combined the gaming and Netflix experience to deliver an experience unique to the platform. However, Netflix Gaming seems to be a much more cut and dry experience like the traditional gaming platforms such as Steam and Epic Games Store.
This also increases the speculation about various game development studios becoming Netflix Gaming Exclusives, which the larger gaming community is always apprehensive about. It remains to be seen how this venture plays out for Netflix, but you better believe we’ll be here to cover whatever happens.