Netflix is preparing to enter the gaming market fully in the near future. We recently announced that the streaming video platform approached veterans of the video game industry to add them to its ambitious strategy. Now however Bloomberg reports Mike verdu, a former VP of Content at Oculus VR (Facebook), joined Netflix as VP of Game Development. Verdu is also known for having led the mobile games division of Electronic Arts.
This information is vitally important because it confirms that Netflix not only wants to distribute games, but also develop them. Creating titles is not a minor issue; giants such as Amazon and Google have been left halfway in their attempt to consolidate in the sector. In fact, the Mountain Viewers recently threw in the towel by shutting down Stadia’s development studios. The aforementioned service is still alive, for now …
Mark Gurman – more than known in Apple hearsay – and Lucas Shaw, the two journalists who signed the Bloomberg report, claim that Netflix will start offering video games from 2022. Apparently they will do it through the platform they already have today. So, initially, they don’t plan to launch a secondary service to focus their games.
One question that remains in the air is how Netflix will distribute its first video games. The first option is for users to download all the files necessary to run a title, which would limit the devices that can support them for performance and storage reasons. The other alternative, and perhaps more feasible, is for Netflix to use Cloud Gaming technology. Thanks to this, the processing of the games occurs “in the cloud” (servers) and the devices only receive the video signal.
Developing…