Netflix has taken the next steps in forging its path in the video game world. Earlier this week, the streaming giant purchased mobile game developer Boss Fight Entertainment in a move that will almost certainly help Netflix strengthen what is currently a small catalog when it comes to its gaming offerings.
Netflix first announced it was going to be making a move into video games last summer, though it turns out the company wasn’t aiming for a rivalry with Xbox or PlayStation with its offerings. Instead, most of the games the platform offers are smaller scale PC or mobile games that can be easily played using touch controls on tablets or smartphones. By acquiring the developer of mobile games like Dungeon Boss, Netflix appears to be planning to continue in that direction with experts in the field.
The New York Times reported that Netflix announced the new mobile games acquisition of the 130-employee Boss Fight Entertainment on Thursday in what is actually the second acquisition of a smaller game developer this month. Netflix is adding Boss Fight and Next Games to a growing catalog of acquisitions that started last fall with the purchase of Oxenfree developer Night School.
Even with those three companies, it’s clear that Netflix’s video game strategy is just starting to ramp up. It certainly has fewer companies under its umbrella than big game companies like Microsoft or Sony, though it also doesn’t need to have that size of investment in order to see some success with the way it’s choosing to get into the ultra-competitive business.
At the moment, the entirety of the Netflix video game library involves titles that can be found on other platforms such as Stranger Things 3 and Hextech Mayhem. However, the company has made itself very clear that it eventually wants to offer original games that will only be available on its service. Adding Boss Fight Entertainment to its stable will certainly help it do just that.
Source: The New York Times
