Netflix announces new internal games studio

The streaming giant is officially working on its own games

After years of sitting atop the throne of online streaming services, Netflix has been in somewhat of a decline recently, despite the popularity of shows like Stranger Things. Netflix told us a while ago that it was going to be entering the games space, but now it’s doubling down — the company just announced that it will be opening its very own internal games studios to create its own projects.

The studio is set to be established in Helsinki, Finland, which “is home to some of the best game talent in the world,” and Marko Lastikka will be serving as the studio director. Netflix is building this new studio “from scratch,” and will be its second studio in Helinski along with Next Games. Night School Studio and Boss Fight Entertainment round out the lineup of studios that are now under the Netflix umbrella.

We can’t expect anything to come out in the next year or two, because Netflix is still “building the foundation” of the games studio right now. Looks like we’re gonna have to continue to be patient to see what Netflix is planning on the interactive front.

This is a huge step for Netflix considering it’s a realm that other streaming platforms haven’t really tried yet. Amazon has had its fair share of interactive projects, including New World, but they have struggled to get off the ground. After the success of titles like Bandersnatch or the newly-released indie interactive narrative series We Are OFK, there’s a precedent of fans really enjoying media that falls squarely between TV and games.

It’s a whole landscape that not many have ventured into, but I could see it as a whole new way to open up interactive storytelling to audiences who have never tried them before. My dad couldn’t get the hang of a Telltale game to save his life, but he could handle something with simple choices no problem. It sounds like Netflix is also gearing its development toward more traditionally interactive games as well, but if anyone is going to fill that gap in the market, it’s them.