Netflix just spent $72 million on Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales dev in a bid to make the ‘best gaming service’
Netflix is moving forward with gaming in a big way. After launching free mobile gaming for subscribers last year, the streaming giant recently promised it was going to offer the “best gaming service available" in a bid to justify price increases. It followed up with agaming library expansionthat indicated the company was indeed serious about diversifying game selections, a key to keeping users interested and to perhaps one day balancing an overall dip in subscriptions. On Tuesday, Netflix announced a new (and unsurprising) move: an offer topurchase Finland-based Next Games, the creator of “Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales,” a mobile, story-driven RPG inspired by the megahit sci-fi horror series — and one of ourfavorite Android games.
Netflix is set to shell out €65 million ($72 million USD) for the studio, according toa news release(viaThe Verge). The release notes that Next has followed a straightforward strategy of developing games inspired byexisting franchiseslike “Stranger Things” and the long-running AMC horror staple, “The Walking Dead.” The strategy has worked out well. In 2020, Next reported revenue of about €27.2 million ($30 million) and indicated 95% of its profits were from in-game purchases.
Past “Stranger Things” games by other developers have included “Stranger Things 3: The Game” and “Stranger Things: 1984,” and both were available via Netflix’s game library when itbecame available for Android usersin November of last year. With this acquisition, which is set to close in Q2 of 2022, it does look like Netflix is shoring up what will eventually be an in-house game development section. It’s not a big leap to expect more streaming TV series-inspired games in the near future. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself playing something with a title like “Squid Game: This RPG is bleak and depressing” sometime in 2023.
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