17 October 2023 , 12:00
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The world’s biggest TV streaming service wants to bet bigger on games than it already has and is setting sights on Rockstar’s iconic series.
Though commonly criticised for its insistence to cancel TV shows early and regular price hikes, there’s no denying that Netflix is one of the most popular ways to consume content in the world. For the longest time this remained limited to TV and movies, until a few years ago when the streaming giant launched the ability to play video games as part of people’s subscription. Until now the lineup has focused on indies, but a new report suggests Netflix has its sights on titles much bigger so as to compete with the likes of PlayStation and Xbox.
News of such plans comes from the Wall Street Journal (paywalled) which reports that Netflix has even “discussed plans” to release a new game in the GTA series through a new licensing agreement with the game’s publisher, Take-Two Interactive. There’s no word on whether the GTA game in question would end up being GTA 6, but the phrasing suggests that it almost certainly won’t be GTA 5 and is more likely a new mobile instalment in Rockstar’s beloved crime franchise.
This move is all part of a push to bring what Netflix is supposedly calling a bevy of “higher-end” titles to the video game arm of its core subscription service. Getting a GTA game directly into the hands of its millions-strong subscriber base would certainly be a boon, for sure, but is far more ambitious compared to other Netflix original releases like Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales, Poinypy and most recently Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals.
It's worth noting that, up until this point, all Netflix original video games have been designed with the ability to play them on tablets and mobile devices in mind. Hence why should this report of a new GTA game be true, it’s unlikely to be the next mainline entry in Rockstar’s series and is more likely to be something design from the ground-up for Netflix bespoke.
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With the Wall Street Journal report explaining that less than 1% of Netflix subscribers engage (let alone play) with its current video game offering, it’s unsurprising to see the company step up its ambitions. An original GTA game would certainly be a boon and gain higher interest than it’s currently seeing, I’m sure, but I think the bigger issue is just how little it markets what’s currently available to play.
If you told the layman that exceptional indie titles like Into the Breach, Moonlighter, Before Your Eyes and others were available right now for no extra fee as part of their Netflix subscription, I’m sure they’d jump at the chance. That said, adding a giant title such as a new GTA to the lineup is almost guaranteed to bring more eyes on those smaller titles, too. I’m a little hesitant about a new GTA’s necessity to run on mobile, yet if Resident Evil Village can run on the new iPhone, maybe that shouldn’t be as much of a concern.