After years of teasing, Netflix is finally throwing their hat into the AAA gaming ring. The streaming giant has been buying up plenty of game studios and is slowly building up to its first big release, which is going to be an AAA PC title as per an open job application for a Game Director. The job is for Netflix Game Studios' Los Angeles wing and given the amount of dollarydoos that Netflix can throw around, it's probably going to be closer to AAAA if the streaming company goes all-in on its gaming division, which it seems to be doing.
This is definitely a big step for Netflix, as previously Netflix Games' offerings have been more of the mobile or streaming variety. Not inconsequential, but not nearly as big of a deal as a AAA PC game that might be an FPS or third-person shooter title, based on what the job listing is asking for. The game is also going to be designed to appeal to hundreds of millions around the world, which brings to mind games like Valorant or other competitive shooters that Netflix has an eye on.
It could also be an "exciting" 3rd person action RPG, per another listing, but signs seem to point away from that for the major AAA project. The LA studio is headed by former Overwatch head Chacko Sonny, so right now most of the signs are in the FPS/third-person shooter direction. Maybe Netflix is currently developing two games at the same studio?
The big AAA game is apparently aiming to be "one of Netflix's first generation of internally developed original games", which means Netflix is trying to become a big publisher like EA or other massive publishers. That makes sense due to the incredible amount of money that services like Xbox Game Pass make each year. Maybe eventually we'll see a Netflix Game Pass tied to a more premium version of their subscription? It would be an interesting attempt to corner two markets under the same umbrella, that's for sure.
The game prototype will be made in Unreal Engine, which isn't surprising given how popular it is. Why reinvent the wheel when you don't have to? After all, it's not like Netflix wants to create niche titles. From what the ad page says, Netflix wants to take a popular genre, put its own spin on it, invest hundreds of millions to polish it to a blinding sheen, and slap some live service game elements on it. Easier said than done, but Netflix isn't lacking in capital, so it should theoretically be able to make an incredible game. We'll see.
For more information on Netflix's foray into AAA gaming, stay tuned to TechRaptor.
