Netflix ‘excited to do more with interactive entertainment’ as reports of gaming division emerge

Netflix is reportedly exploring an expansion into gaming.

According to The Information, the streaming leader is in the process of recruiting for a dedicated gaming division. No official listing has been identified, but Netflix has reportedly sounded out a number of execs in the videogames industry over helming the new expansion beyond traditional films and TV.

Seemingly confirming interest in the space, a Netflix spokesperson issued a statement following the report’s publication that the company is “excited to do more with interactive entertainment.”

Netflix has previously made forays into interactive TV with its popular Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend but these have largely been novelty one-offs. The company also licensed Stranger Things for two games.

Netflix also has a long-standing relationship with the games industry with a number of its original shows. The streamer produced the big-budget The Witcher in 2019 and has just wrapped up the fourth and final season of its animated series Castlevania. It will also publish animated series based on the Resident Evil and Tomb Raider franchises this year. 

The streamer has historically viewed itself as a competitor to videogames. In a pre-pandemic conference call, co-CEO Reed Hastings said that “we compete with Fortnite more than HBO.”