When Netflix announced that it wanted to get into gaming, it seemed like the logical next step for the company. After all, Netflix is the largest video streaming platform next to YouTube, and as more and more streaming services begin to be created and grow, Netflix needed something major to help it stand out. The company had tested video game streaming in Poland by making two titles available to subscribers; Stranger Things: The Game and Stranger Things 3: The Game. While both titles certainly have their merits, they aren't big enough to be a major selling point for Netflix's gaming goals.
Yesterday, it was announced that Netflix has purchased Night School Studio, the creators of Oxenfree and the upcoming Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals. This seems like a major step in the right direction if the company wants to be taken seriously in the gaming space and become just as respected among gaming enthusiasts as it is with fans of TV and film.
Picking the Right Studios to Acquire
Acquisitions sometimes are met with skepticism and caution, especially when a non-gaming major corporation tries to buy its way into the games industry. Despite the early success of New World, it takes one look at Amazon's attempt at breaking into gaming with the released then canceled Crucible to understand that funding doesn't always make a game great. It's for this reason that Netflix's desire to become a gaming giant was met with equal skepticism. That said, the acquisition of Night School Studio seems to suggest that Netflix is being calculated about how it's planning on making its entrance into the industry.
Night School Studio is a great pick for Netflix because the studio is small but well respected among fans of indie games and other indie studios. Oxenfree was a hit and fans have been closely following any updates on Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals ever since it was announced earlier this year. However, because it acquired a small studio, it appears like Netflix isn't planning on simply throwing money into a giant studio until it can break through and establish itself.
Instead, purchasing something smaller like Night School Studio allows the game makers to try things and take chances. Neither company has disclosed how much the purchase cost Netflix, however it's likely that it wasn't an unreasonably high number based on Night School's size and reach. This keeps the stakes low for the studio, meaning that its first game with Netflix doesn't need to be a blockbuster hit that sells millions of copies. That will hopefully result in Night School Studio having a lot more creative freedom to make a title that its workers are passionate about.
Netflix's Gaming Expansion
According to the company itself, Netflix's gaming services are still quite a ways away. The testing it did in Poland seemed to be about proving that the concept could work over providing quality new titles to subscribers. If the project is in fact in its early days, then that seems like the right first steps for the company to be making. It likely used the Stranger Things games for the testing because they were initially released as mobile games that don't require Netflix to invest heavily in the technology to support more technically demanding titles, and also because Netflix likely owns the rights to the games as the creator of the franchise.
Night School Studio seems like a great step up from both mobile Stranger Things titles. This isn't to say that the Stranger Things games aren't quality experiences, just that they don't require much technical support. Oxenfree and many of the other games made by Night School, on the other hand, are able to run on mobile, but have more technically impressive versions running on consoles. This opens the door for Netflix to test the water a little bit in terms of discovering what their network will be able to handle. Surely, the mobile version of Oxenfree can work alongside Stranger Things: The Game, but now Netflix is able to see what kind of fidelity is possible on its service by testing in incremental intervals.
The Future of Netflix and Gaming
Looking ahead at what's in the future for Netflix's gaming aspirations has gotten easier with the company's purchase of Night School Studio. Because Night School makes games with distinct voices and visions, it gives hope that Netflix is looking to invest in studios that mirror some of the film makers that it supports with its TV and film studios.
With TV and film, Netflix has made it clear that it's interested in funding smaller creators to work on projects. While they aren't always meant to big major hits, sometimes the smaller projects end up taking off and becoming some of the biggest series on the platform. Shows and films like Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, and Birdbox all started out as relatively small projects, but ended up exploding in popularity due to the quality of work done by the filmmakers and the passion that they brought with them. Hopefully, Netflix is doing a similar thing with its gaming department as exampled by Night School Studio.
Amid rumors of a partnership with Sony, many gaming enthusiasts are expectantly waiting to see what Netflix has in store for its entrance into gaming. It's unclear if that partnership is truly in the works, but regardless of whether it is, the company's acquisition of Night School seems to suggest that there are still aspects of Netflix's plans that are going to surprise fans. Hopefully, Netflix's strategy of taking its time and investing in unique gaming voices will pay off in the long run and provide more interesting titles for years to come.