Netflix Is 'Planning To Create A Video Game Streaming Service'
Remember the days when Netflix would send you a DVD in the post, and you'd wait for that inevitable thud on the doorstep, post it back, then wait for the next one? It's a system that we imagined led to a lot of damaged/lost discs, and it's hard to think of a time Netflix wasn't a streaming giant.
While Blockbuster stuck with its tried and tested rental system (and ultimately paid the price), Netflix took the streaming world by storm and is still the world's largest streaming service - hitting 200 million subscribers at the end of 2020.
Now, Netflix has grand plans to expand into the world of game streaming services.
What's Netflix's plan for a video game streaming service?
According to Bloomberg, Netflix is planning an expansion beyond movies and TV shows. We've already seen the platform dabble in "choose your own adventure" with the likes of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, however, a move into video games could be Netflix's biggest reinvention since it stopped posting DVDs.
The site explains how Netflix has hired a former Electronic Arts and Facebook executive to lead its latest venture. Bloomberg says Mike Verdu will join Netflix as Vice President of Game Development and will report to Chief Operating Officer Greg Peters. Verdu is known for his work bringing Facebook's gaming efforts to Oculus headsets.
When could Netflix offer a video game streaming service?
Details are thin on the ground, however, "a person familiar with the situation" claims Netflix could start offering a video game streaming service in the next 12 months. Apparently, your gaming choices would appear alongside your usual categories.
Netflix already has an impressive array of gaming-related shows and movies with Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness and the ongoing success of The Witcher. If that wasn't enough, Netflix recently acquired the exclusive rights to show the Uncharted and Ghost of Tsushima movies first thanks to a deal with Sony.
Will Netflix charge more for a video game service?
If all of the above is to be believed, there's even better news. Currently, Netflix has no plans to charge extra for video games. Considering a lot of us use our PC, PlayStation, and Xbox to run Netflix, it was only a matter of time until the streaming giant tried to get a slice of the gaming pie.
Verdu's EA legacy has included work on the likes of The Sims and Star Wars, meaning he has some major franchises under his belt. Although it's hard to see how Netflix could overtake Sony's PlayStation Now or Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming, the prospect of adding your favourite titles to Netflix could chip away at these gaming giants lauding it over video game streaming services.
Will Netflix really be the Netflix of video game streaming services?
