Netflix are Narrowing their Focus with Game Development - and It Makes Total Sense

Netflix has been making major changes to its game department over the years. Last year, they closed down the Team Blue gaming studio, which was in the middle of developing a game at the time. The company has also been focusing on generative AI for quite some time, showing how they are honing their efforts to keep their investment lean and profitable.

Interestingly, another development has occurred within the company, as they have scrapped mobile games based on “stories”. This includes Love is Blind and Virgin River.

Narrowing Their Focus is a Smart Business Move

Netflix has confirmed that they have adopted a new strategy within its games department. They’re going to be sticking to mobile titles, narrative games, and mainstream games. They are also putting a focus on games that can be played on television screens. The company’s choice to focus on a specific market makes perfect sense, especially when you look at the way the gaming market works today.

Apple, for example, a dominating force within the sector, is primarily focused on innovative indie games. They are also investing heavily in Apple Arcade, which includes a collection of brain-teasers and classic titles. This allows them to offer several games that appeal to a unified demographic.

Similarly, players will notice an impressive number of variants when they log on to a platform to play blackjack online. This can include live blackjack, classic blackjack, and even themed variants, focused on popular locations like Vegas. By focusing on a particular game category or markets like this, it becomes possible to offer users more options for themes and ways to play while ensuring a consistent and enjoyable experience for the target market.

When you break down information like this, Netflix is just refining its offerings to ensure that it continues to appeal to its target demographic, as opposed to slimming down their gaming division as a whole. After all, the company has several new titles currently in production, with talks of new content coming out for their famous Squid Game: Unleashed release.

A Notable Shift in Netflix’s Approach to Gaming

The shift that Netflix have undertaken comes after Alain Tascan joined the company as President of Games last summer. He’s the one who decided to discontinue the work on any upcoming “stories” games. But, with that said, he has allowed previous installments to remain available to play. He has also released a statement saying that this is part of the evolving strategy for Netflix. They need to stay focused on the path they are taking and the direction they are moving towards, otherwise, the gaming division may become a distraction for the company, something he wants to avoid.

Even though “story” games for Netflix have been highly successful, it seems the company is taking a new direction. There is talk of the company using more generative AI in their content, and it may be that this has a part to play in the future. With that said, exciting developments are happening within the gaming sector, and Netflix users certainly stand to benefit from it.