ALL THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF PC GAMES

News

Netflix denies plans to get into video games despite having plans to get into video games

Netflix denies plans to get into video games despite having plans to get into video games

Streaming giant Netflix says it has no plans to get into the video games market.

This follows a story from TechRadar saying that the firm would be adding games to its offering, with the first being a streamable edition of Minecraft: Story mode from Telltale Games.

Additionally, Netflix has reportedly commissioned a Stranger Things project from Telltale.

Netflix has since put out a comment to TechRadar to confirm that Minecraft: Story Mode is coming to it platform and that Telltale is making a Stranger things project. That will not be coming to Netflix.

But as far as the firm is concerned, this doesn't constitute getting into gaming.

"We don’t have any plans to get into gaming. There’s a broad spectrum of entertainment available today. Games have become increasingly cinematic, but we view this as interactive narrative storytelling on our service."

That Telltale is interested in being on Netflix's platform should come as no surprise - the firm has long seen itself as less of a video games company and more of a broader entertainment enterprise. That much is clear by publications such as Variety having the exclusive on most of the firm's announcements. 

Bringing Minecraft: Story Mode to Netflix is likely a test project to get an idea of whether the audience on that platform has an interest in the kinds of narrative experiences that Telltale has to offer. 

 


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.