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Netflix acquires Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales devs

Netflix further solidifies its gaming efforts with a new acquisition.

Donovan Erskine

March 2, 2022 1:45 PM

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Netflix is already the king of film and television in the streaming era, and the company has made clear its intentions to expand its empire into gaming as well. Netflix already has Oxenfree developer Night School Studio in its arsenal, and it’s bolstering its ranks with the acquisition of Next Games, the team behind Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales.

Netflix announced its acquisition of Next Games in a news release on March 2, 2022. Netflix paid shareholders of the Finnish developer €2.1 per share, for a total value of €65 million ($2.34 USD per share, $72 million USD value).

"Next Games has a seasoned management team, strong track record with mobile games based on entertainment franchises, and solid operational capabilities," said Michael Verdu, Vice President of Games, Netflix. "We are excited for Next Games to join Netflix as a core studio in a strategic region and key talent market, expanding our internal game studio capabilities. While we're just getting started in games, I am confident that together with Next Games we will be able to build a portfolio of world class games that will delight our members around the world."

Netflix already has a history with Next Games, as the developer created Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales, a mobile game based on the popular original series. It’s likely that we’ll see Next Games tackle more franchises within the Netflix pantheon in the future.

Next Games joins the likes of Night School Studio, most known for their work on Oxenfree, as gaming studios under Netflix. The streaming giant’s long term gaming plans are still relatively unclear, but Netflix is clearly laying the groundwork to be a major player in that space. It will be interesting to see if the company looks to acquire more studios in the future. We’ll continue to follow the business dealings of Netflix as it relates to the video game industry.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_