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Netflix may be out to expand its video game efforts past series adaptations

After a number of successful ventures in video game-to-TV series, Netflix is reportedly looking for an executive to lead an expanded gaming division.

TJ Denzer

May 24, 2021 5:54 PM

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Whether we associate Netflix with video games or not, the video streaming service has undoubtedly put itself parallel alongside gaming conversations for quite a few years now with a continually amassing collection of video game adaptations to TV and movie productions. Successful series like Witcher, DOTA, and Castlevania will soon be joined by upcoming projects like Resident Evil, The Cuphead Show, and many more. That’s not all, though. It seems Netflix could be looking to swerve deeper into the gaming lane and is looking for executive leadership on a gaming division.

The reported news of Netflix’s efforts to move deeper into gaming come from a recently posted report by The Information. According to the report, Netflix is looking for an executive to lead up a game division which may produce a subscription play service for Netflix in the future. The subscription model Netflix is aiming for appears to be similar in model to that of Apple Arcade, which offers open access to a number of exclusive titles on iOS devices for a monthly fee.

Near its beginning, Netflix offered game rentals alongside its movie and streaming services to compete with the likes of GameFly and the remaining physical video rental stores. While that’s hardly even a blip on the radar to what Netflix has going on nowadays, the company has definitely shared regular interest in gaming, hosting a number of series and features based on video game adaptations. Castlevania, The Witcher, Dragon’s Dogma, and DOTA have successful releases under the Netflix banner and there are plenty more on the way, including news on the latest season of Witcher and launch of The Cuphead Show.

It remains to be seen what direction Netflix’s efforts will take as it still seems to be searching for the talent that will lead this new gaming-prioritized division. Nonetheless, if the rumors are true and Netflix does pursue some kind of gaming subscription model, it will be interesting to see if it is indeed capable of competing with established services like Xbox Game Pass and Apple Arcade.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.