ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Netflix buys first video game studio, rolls out mobile games

This Aug. 13, 2020 file photo shows a logo for Netflix on a remote control in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File) This Aug. 13, 2020 file photo shows a logo for Netflix on a remote control in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Share

Netflix has bought video game creator Night School Studio and rolled out five mobile gaming titles in select European markets, the company said on Tuesday, as it looks to diversify revenue sources amid intensifying competition in the streaming space.

Night School Studio, the company's first gaming studio purchase, is best known for its debut game, "Oxenfree," a supernatural teen thriller with an eerie soundtrack.

The studio's games, which are available on Sony's PlayStation, Microsoft's Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PCs, will be the first non-mobile titles in the streaming giant's newly created video game portfolio.

"Like our shows and films, these games will all be included as part of your Netflix membership — all with no ads and no in-app purchases,"

Netflix had mentioned its plans to enter gaming during its last quarterly earnings, as newer players including Disney+ and HBO Max have been rapidly gaining subscribers, intensifying competition in the streaming landscape.

The company earlier in the day said it had introduced "Stranger Things: 1984," "Stranger Things 3: The Game," "Card Blast," "Teeter Up" and "Shooting Hoops" titles on Android to Netflix members in Spain and Italy.

Poland, where the "Stranger Things" titles are already available, will get the other three titles.

"We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV," the company said in its shareholder letter.

"We think the time is right to learn more about how our members value games."

(Reporting by Eva Mathews, Subrat Patnaik and Rithika Krishna in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

Stay Connected