Netflix Is Making A Big Bet On The Future Of Gaming – And It Doesn’t Involve A Console
“Are eight year-olds and ten year-olds dreaming of owning
Alain Tascan, President of Games, Netflix
a PlayStation 6? I am not sure
A very bold thesis statement from Tascan breaks down the streamer’s latest approach to dominating the gaming world, hedging a decisive bet on a move away from traditional consoles à la PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and the upcoming Switch 2, which Tascan views as an unnecessary barrier to entry in the battle to penetrate as many households as possible with new and enticing games.
For Tascan, this friction expands beyond simply purchasing the hardware, into having enough controllers for friends and family members, download times, to even subscription fees. His job is to find as many creative ways to eliminate them within Netflix’s offering.
It’s a significant pivot from earlier efforts to enter the AAA arena by acquiring several gaming studios, and the recent cancellation of six previously announced game titles serve as further proof that the streaming giant isn’t afraid to make adjustments or learn from mistakes along the way as they promise to adjust their catalog to user demand.
Part of that demand is access that is device agnostic and transportable, especially for families on the go in cars or on planes. The other areas Netflix is narrowing their focus on include narrative transmedia projects, mainstream IP that permeates pop-culture (WWE, Squid Games, GTA), and party games that turn user phones into remote controllers.
In speaking with TheGameBusiness.com, Tascan elaborated further on this approach:
For party games, I believe we can give instant fun, using the phone controller as a very innovative controller. On every phone you have a gyroscope, you have a microphone, you have a speaker, you have a touchscreen… if you give that to creative people, what do they do? Whether you’re alone, or with two people, or 20 people, why not? Can we do something really engaging?
Where other video game developers are counting on sky-high graphic budgets, or leaning heavily into VR, Netflix may be onto something in an era where Fortnite (where Tascan spent six years on development) and Minecraft reign supreme. Only time, and wallet-share will tell.
