Netflix is on the chopping block. The streaming giant that previously put other entertainment companies out of business is now struggling to keep up as streaming grows popular. In recent years, they have had to compete with HBO Max, Disney+, Prime Video, etc. In an effort to gain subscribers, Netflix plans to add an ad tier subscription plan, remove account sharing, and their latest attempt is to expand their content into gaming, specifically their original television series.
Netflix has been developing games for a year now. In a letter to its shareholders, Netflix shared that their “first year was about […] understanding how [their] members interact with games,” via Deadline. Netflix pointed to their original anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners as inspiration for expanding into gaming. The Netflix original series, based on the Cyberpunk game franchise, allowed Netflix to see “big opportunity around content that crosses TV and games,” according to Deadline.
In the past year, Netflix has developed original games based on their original series. These games include Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game based on the Netflix original series Stranger Things, as well as Nailed It! with Baking Bish based on the original series Nailed It! via Deadline. There is also an Exploding Kittens Netflix series in development, as well as an original game to go along with it, according to Deadline.
With an extensive and diverse library of content, Netflix is looking to turn more of their original series into original games. In a quarterly shareholders letter, Netflix “highlighted the success of [its original shows] such as Stranger Things S4, The Sandman, Cobra Kai and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” according to Deadline. There are minimal details of the development of future Netflix games, and no release date has been shared for future games, according to Deadline.