Netflix and game? Streaming giant to launch gaming platform, just not in the app
After Google with Stadia, Facebook Gaming, and Microsoft's Xbox Cloud, it's time for another digital giant to try and develop a game streaming platform - Netflix. Wait, what?
That's right, the most popular movie and TV series streaming platform was rumored to dip its toes into the fast-moving gaming waters, and now Bloomberg corroborates the claim, adding extra details.
First off, Netflix is already hiring popular gaming industry execs like Mike Verdu from Electronic Arts, as well as posted a number of gaming-related positions in its jobs section. Given the games that Mr Verdu has worked on in EA - mobile titles like the Sims, Plants vs. Zombies and Star Wars franchises - as well as his three-year stint at Zynga, the creators of Farmville, we can imagine what type of games Netflix will be aiming to develop in-house.
Alternatively, Netflix may choose a hybrid model of offering popular games from other platforms, adapting them for its own streaming technology, like Google does with Stadia,but, given that the game streaming is likely to be included in the current subscription price, it's more probable that it will bet on homebrew titles.
In any case, there will be one more reason to readjust the Netflix subscription prices upwards, just as it did not long ago, this time with the promise of a brand new entertainment avenue, all from the comfort of your own Netflix account. Just don't expect this gaming option to be present in the Netflix app on iOS and even Android without a fight, as it will clash with Apple's own Arcade and Google Stadia undertakings.
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