Netflix has announced the purchase of Next Gamesa Finnish developer and creator of the video games “Stranger Things” and “The Walking Dead”, the former based on Netflix’s own hit series and the latter on the no less successful HBO series that adapts the comics by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard.
Netflix includes in its catalog free video games as an additional channel of content
The operation has involved an outlay of 65 million euros in cashand consolidates Netflix’s interest in strengthening a new offering that complements its catalog of series, movies and documentaries: video games. It is in fact the first acquisition specifically focused on this sector made by the streaming platform.
Integrated as a additional thematic channel and accessible for the moment only from mobile devices, it was precisely the series “Stranger Things” the first of the streaming platform to receive its video game version.
Already last year Netflix pointed out its interest in adding video games to its entertainment catalog, which has gradually been expanding with other titles that are incorporated completely free of charge along with the rest of the usual streaming content.
Next Games, created in Finland in 2013, has 120 employees and its founder is Teemu Huutanen, who before becoming CEO of this company had been an executive at Roku, studios creators of the arch-popular “Angry Birds.”. Now he is pleased to join forces with “the world’s largest streaming platform, an opportunity for an exciting collaboration offering experiences for fun”.
Next games’ results in the past year exceeded 27 million euros. 95% of its sales come from in-app purchases within the applications it develops, a catalog that is likely to be reinforced in the future by video games inspired by or based on Netflix’s own production titles.
