Netflix is known for one thing and one thing only, video streaming of TV shows and movies. However, it seems that the company wants to expand beyond videos and could be looking to get into video games. This is according to a report from The Information (paywall) where their sources have told them that Netflix has approached veteran game industry execs to help lead their expansion into video games.In response to the report, Netflix issued a statement to Polygon in which while they don’t exactly confirm the report, they do acknowledge that they are excited at the prospect of doing more with what they call “interactive entertainment”
“Our members value the variety and quality of our content. It’s why we’ve continually expanded our offering — from series to documentaries, film, local language originals and reality TV. Members also enjoy engaging more directly with stories they love — through interactive shows like Bandersnatch and You v. Wild, or games based on Stranger Things, La Casa de Papel and To All the Boys. So we’re excited to do more with interactive entertainment.”
In a way, it’s not surprising that Netflix wants to expand. The rise of streaming services definitely makes the space more competitive, especially since Netflix does license a fair bit of their content from companies that have their own streaming services. This means that it’s not a bad idea for the company to have something else to fall back on should things go belly up for them, although we doubt that will be happening anytime soon.