Netflix look to venture into gaming with former EA executive

Netflix Inc. has decided that after TV Shows and Movies, they want to venture into the world of gaming.

The video game industry is by far one of the largest, especially taking into account the amount of revenue it generates over the course of a year. It is estimated that the PC gaming market alone, in the United States, had a total revenue worth of 37 billion US dollars in 2020.

Bloomberg reports that Netflix is going to add video games to its streaming service next year. I guess that means Apple will have to ban Netflix on iOS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ https://t.co/PikF5my6YF

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) July 14, 2021

So it comes as no surprise that Netflix has hired former EA and Facebook executive, Mike Verdu, to work as a lead in the new department.

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Netflix wants to include more variety

Netflix is no stranger to the video game industry as many of its recent TV shows have been based on games. Some of the more popular ones are “The Witcher” and “DOTA Dragon’s Blood”. Netflix is also planning a second season of the successful DOTA franchise. Apart from that, Netflix has also planned a League of Legends TV series, “Arcane”, featuring key characters like Jinx and Vi.

According to Bloomberg,

“The idea is to offer video games on Netflix’s streaming platform within the next year, according to a person familiar with the situation. The games will appear alongside current fare as a new programming genre -- similar to what Netflix did with documentaries or stand-up specials. The company doesn’t currently plan to charge extra for the content, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private”

Apart from that, a Netflix spokesperson, in conversation with Polygon, said,

“Our members value the variety and quality of our content. It’s why we’ve continually expanded our offering — from series to documentaries, film, local language originals and reality TV. Members also enjoy engaging more directly with stories they love — through interactive shows like Bandersnatch and You v. Wild, or games based on Stranger Things, La Casa de Papel and To All the Boys. So we’re excited to do more with interactive entertainment”

Netflix has been looking to become a part of the industry ever since they acknowledged that Fortnite was one of their biggest competitors in the market.

#gaming vs. #streaming Netflix: "Fortnite is a bigger rival than HBO"@netflix @FortniteGame @EpicGames @HBO https://t.co/IXbRxYYgrX pic.twitter.com/cv9HoxizS7

— Zvika Haas (@ZvikaHaas) January 21, 2019

It goes without saying that the public always wants to go to a place where they will feel at home. If Netflix can offer such a platform, its popularity will most likely grow exponentially.