Netflix isn’t satisfied with just bringing third-party video games to its streaming service as the platform continues to expand its offerings after nearly a year of being available. To insulate that portion of the business, the company is establishing a new internal game studio that will develop original games for the service.
The new studio is being established in Helsinki, Finland, and will be helmed by former Zynga Helsinki general manager Marko Lastikka.
With Lastikka as the studio director, Netflix plans to tap into the world-class games talent within the region to help create more “deeply engaging” titles for its subscribers.
This is actually Netflix’s fourth studio to go along with Boss Fight Entertainment, Next Games, and Night School—though it is the first established internally instead of being acquired. Next Games, the studio that developed Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales, is also located in Helinski.
Netflix notes that this will be a game studio built from the ground up with the company’s gaming vision in mind, while likely focusing on other areas compared to the other studios that are already operating.
“It’s still early days, and we have much more work to do to deliver a great games experience on Netflix,” VP of Netflix game studios Amir Rahimi said. “Creating a game can take years, so I’m proud to see how we’re steadily building the foundation of our games studios in our first year, and look forward to sharing what we produce in the coming years.”
Along with those purchased studios and additional upcoming plans, Netflix recently confirmed it has entered a multi-year agreement with Ubisoft.
This deal will see three new exclusive titles coming to the platform from Ubisoft, including two sequels to existing games and an entirely original Assassin’s Creed mobile entry. These games will release throughout 2023 and into 2024 with no ads or microtransactions included as part of Netflix’s continued plans to grow the games section of its subscription service.
