Netflix is doubling down on its gaming strategy with the company’s VP of games Mike Verdu announcing yesterday that they are “seriously exploring” a cloud gaming offering.
Speaking at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 conference, the aim of the expansion is to extend the company’s catalogue of games to be playable on TVs and PCs.
“We’re going to approach [cloud gaming] the same way we did with mobile, which is to start small, be humble, be thoughtful, and then build out. But it is a step that we think we should take to meet members where they are, on the devices where they consume Netflix.”
Whilst it’s not clear if Netflix was developing its own controller for such a service, Verdu was quick to draw a difference between its plans and rivals like Xbox Cloud Gaming, Luna, GeForce Now and Google’s soon-to-be-defunct Stadia:
“For us, delivering games to your TV or to your PC, it’s value-add – like, we’re not asking you to subscribe as a console replacement, so it’s a completely different business model.”
Verdu also says the company plans to create a new studio in Southern California with former Activision Blizzard executive producer Chacko Sonny at its center. Sonny was key in the development of titles like “Overwatch” and Sony’s “God of War” reboot.
The aim is for the Netflix streaming games to provide additional value to the core Netflix streaming video subscription and thus, higher retention of the service.
Source: Tech Crunch
