A Netflix VP has confirmed that the firm has ambitions to offer a cloud gaming service to subscribers. At the TechCrunch Disrupt event on Tuesday, vice president of gaming, Mike Verdu, said that Netflix is "seriously exploring a cloud gaming offering." In related news, further signalling Netflix’s serious intent regarding the gaming industry, the firm opened its fifth games studio, led by former Blizzard Entertainment (Overwatch) executive producer, Chacko Sonny.
There has been talk about Netflix entering the gaming industry before, but its initial venture targeted the mobile games space. It must have gained confidence from the mobile gaming venture, as it sounds like it will follow a similar modus operandi into cloud gaming. “We'll approach this the same way as we did with mobile - start small, be humble, be thoughtful,” explained Verdu, at Disrupt. “The extension into the cloud is really about reaching the other devices where people experience Netflix.” Moreover, the service is hinted to move beyond casual gaming titles.
You may be wondering about the viability of another cloud gaming entrant, with Google Stadia so recently deceased. Thankfully, the question of the struggles faced by Stadia, and Amazon Luna, were raised at the Disrupt event. Verdu’s response to the failings seen by rivals was that Stadia, for example, was “a technical success,” but that Google’s business model didn’t work out.
Netflix has released 35 mobile games since the service went live, and it let investors know that there are 55 more in the pipeline. The streaming media giant says that 14 of the new titles have come from its four games studios. To bolster its gaming output, and perhaps range, it announced that a fifth studio would be opened in Southern California shortly. The unnamed new studio is to be led by Chacko Sonny, an executive producer who worked on the very popular Overwatch franchise. As for partners, Ubisoft recently announced that it was producing three mobile games for Netflix, based on popular IPs such as Assassin’s Creed and Valiant Hearts.