Netflix’s Gaming arm has been steadily growing since Netflix Games was brought into existence back in September 2021. Still, the biggest advantage Netflix has in the gaming industry is simple, Netflix has an IP portfolio that can both help and hurt its gaming growth. Let me explain.
How Do You Adapt Certain Netflix IPs Into Games?:
Before we go into the reasons why Netflix’s IP library is a problem we must first lay out some of the properties that Netflix owns. Netflix is behind hit shows like Stranger Things and Squid Game, they also own the comic publisher MIllarworld and the library of books written by the late Roald Dahl. Now we have seen Netflix adapt properties like Stranger Things, Love Is Blind, Too Hot To Handle and The Queens Gambit into video games however if Netflix were to try and develop games based on some properties like The BFG, The Twits, and The Enormous Crocodile then there would be a clear struggle to adapt such properties into games,
Cancelling Shows Can Affect Games:
Let’s look at another key problem for Netflix Games’ and that is when some IPs are tied to shows which get axed. The most recent example of Netflix’s decision to develop a game based on a television series that was canceled happened with Shadow and Bone: Enter The Fold which was based on Netflix’s semi-popular series Shadow and Bone. Shadow and Bone: Enter The Fold was released mere days before the show it spun off from was canceled.
Final Thoughts:
Netflix is a media company that wants IPs that can benefit the whole company, but bringing those IPs into the video game landscape will be difficult if Netflix “bets on the wrong horse” and decides to adapt a TV series or movie into a video game if it wasn’t as successful as originally thought. Overall Netflix adapting roughly a dozen of their IPs into video games so far has been interesting to watch and I’m curious to see what IPs Netflix adapts next.
