Netflix will reportedly offer video games through its subscription service in the near future.
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According to a new Bloomberg report, the streaming giant has allegedly hired former Electronic Arts (EA) and Facebook executive Mike Verdu as its vice president of game development. This seems to imply that Netflix will be creating some titled in-house, as opposed to licensing out its IP.
An anonymous source told Bloomberg that Netflix will be building up its game development team in the coming months, and has also already advertising for game development-related positions on its website. However, the company has reportedly yet to decide on a strategy for this new gaming initiative.
Netflix also supposedly plans to launch games on its platform “within the next year” and reportedly will not “charge extra for the content”, according to its the Bloomberg report. Moreover, video games will purportedly appear alongside the platform’s current offerings as a new genre.
In addition, Bloomberg also noted that files that seem to confirm Netflix’s plans to add video games onto its platform can be found deep in the company’s mobile app, according to research done by iOS developer Steve Moser.
Bloomberg’s report supports claims made by The Information in May that Netflix was hoping to move into the video game sector. At the time, the publication alleged that the streaming giant was in talks with several “veteran game industry executives” about leading a possible video game division.
In recent months, Netflix has also doubled down on gaming-related content, with the recent release of shows based on popular franchises such as Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, The Witcher and DOTA: Dragon’s Blood.
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