Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales is a mobile puzzle rpg that launched on Android and iOS in September of last year. Netflix acquiring the studio shows that the company has a growing interest in games, specifically mobile titles. Though this should come as no surprise. When Netflix initially announced that it would begin offering games through its service, it also suggested that it had plans to expand. That it would start things small, but eventually grow to offer a larger variety of game titles in the app. Stating that it couldn’t wait to take subscribers on its “gaming journey.”
Netflix plans to use the game studio for more mobile titles
Next Games is a mobile gaming studio. And it specializes in creating mobile games based on entertainment franchises. Such as the Stranger Things series. It was also behind games like The Walking Dead: Our World. An acquisition by Netflix shows how serious the company is about expanding its reach with games. Netflix VP of Games Michael Verdu says the company is excited for Next Games to join the team and help expand the company’s internal game studio capabilities. Further noting that Next Games will play a big role in helping to delight subscribers around the globe with world-class games. No plans have been mentioned yet about what games to expect coming out of this acquisition. However, the acquisition is expected to finalize in Q2 of this year. So it appears that Netflix and Next Games are eager to get right to work on creating more content for subscribers. While Netflix currently only offers mobile titles, its first game studio acquisition may signal that the company has plans to eventually move beyond mobile. Though it seems to make the most sense for the company right now to stay within the mobile ecosystem.
