Netflix has been on a roll when it comes to buying developers. Acquiring Oxenfree developers Night School Studio in September, Boss Fight Entertainment in March that developed Stranger Things 3: The Game, as well as Next Games, developer of Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales. Now Netflix has confirmed that it intends to not only buy already existing studios for games but to start creating first-party developers.
The vice president of Netflix Game Studios said the company is establishing an internal games studio in Helsinki, Finland, with Mark Lastikka as the studio director. Netflix aims to build a world-class game studio that will make a variety of original games. He also confirmed that these games will not have ads or in-app purchases.
Netflix’s New Game Studio
The new studio being formed does not have a name yet, but it will join Next Games in Helsinki, Finland. There is also no word on what the studio plans to build, and Rahimi said we shouldn’t expect to find out anytime soon. And that makes sense, since making large scale AAA games can easily take 3 years to get to a state deserving a showcase.
Rahimi added that it is still early days for the studio, and there is a lot of work that needs to be done to deliver a great game. Taking a game often takes years, and he said he is proud of the foundation of Netflix’s studio at this stage.
In other Netflix news, the company has introduced a new ad tier and Oxenfree: Lost Signals has been delayed to 2023, with the developer Night School Studio citing quality concerns and additional time needed for localization. The developers said they need more time to iron out the issues and deliver the game that fans deserve, and hopefully the best game made by Night School Studio to date.