Netflix games boss Mike Verdu says Netflix will end 2023 with 86 games in its current catalogue, and has 90 more in development.
“We’re just getting started,” Verdu wrote in an end-of-year blog. He also confirmed that Netflix is working on a title “set in the universe of Squid Game, in which you can compete with other players in games from the hit series”.
Netflix launched 40 games this year, and Verdu also namechecked tomorrow’s launch of big Rockstar signing Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, plus titles like Football Manager 24 Mobile and Storyteller. Boss Fight’s recent release Netflix Stories: Love is Blind is “the first chapter in what will be an ever-growing catalog of interactive fiction based on our beloved series and movies,” he said.
“It’s been just two years since we announced our ambition to make Netflix a destination for must-play games,” said Verdu. “While we’re still early in the journey, this last year we made foundational strides toward this goal.”
“We’re committed to building a portfolio with variety and breadth so eventually all of our members can find a game on Netflix they love.”
Next year, Netflix will also conduct further tests, making more of its games playable on TVs and PCs, said Verdu. Netflix has already run limited big-screen games trials in the UK, US and Canada. This is part of a “long-term vision to make games playable on every device”, he said.
He also confirmed that Netflix’s in-app game curation is also now more personalised, in line with its TV and film recommendations. “With a more robust games catalog, we’re now curating the mobile games row so it’s most relevant for each member,” he said. “As we grow our games selection and more members play our games, these recommendations will evolve and improve over time.”
In among the forthcoming game highlights, Verdu mentioned that Squid Game title plus Super Evil Megacorp’s Rebel Moon tie-in, a “four-player co-op action game”.
Four more titles were announced in the blog too, all slated for 2024. Sonic Mania Plus is an enhanced edition of the 2017 2D platformer reboot, and Greenheart Games’ Game Dev Tycoon, Tilting Point’s Fashionverse and Spry Fox’s Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit are also incoming next year. There were also mentions for 2024 games Braid, Hades, Dumb Ways to Survive, Monument Valley 1 & 2 and Netflix Stories: Virgin River.
The streaming giant has been busy building its games operation in the last two years. As we reported recently, Netflix is offering salaries of up to $500k for senior folks joining the team making a multiformat, triple-A multiplayer live service game at its LA studio. It is also making social party games at another new LA-based studio it has spun up recently.
We also expect news of Monument Valley 3 at some point, after Ustwo Games announced it would be bringing its catalogue and future titles to Netflix.
