Saying that acquisitions are a hot topic in the gaming space right now would be an understatement. Almost every week there are rumors of a studio being bought by PlayStation, Xbox, or other major players in the industry. However, with recent acquisitions by PlayStation, Tencent, and Embracer Group to name a few, it is without a doubt a buyers market right now. This isn’t just limited to gaming publishers apparently, as it appears Netflix is looking to gain some ground in the gaming space with their new acquisition of Night School Studio.
In a blog post announcement from independent games developer Night School Studio, we learned that the company has been acquired by Netflix. This is Netflix’s first official acquisition in the gaming space, meaning that Night School Studio is the first gaming studio to join the Netflix family. Night School which is known for its narrative-driven adventures Oxenfree and Afterparty feels like a perfect fit as Netflix is looking to bridge the gap between film and games. In the blog post, the CEO of Night School Studio’s Sean Krankel expressed excitement at the opportunity to join Netflix.
“Of course, it’s a surreal honor to be the first games studio to join Netflix! Not only do we get to keep doing what we do, how we like to do it, but we get a front-row seat on the biggest entertainment platform in the world. The Netflix team has shown the utmost care for protecting our studio culture and creative vision. We’ll keep making OXENFREE II. We’ll keep cooking up new game worlds.”
It appears that Netflix will be making its way into the gaming sphere, and is looking to further flesh out its portfolio with more acquisitions down the road. It will be interesting to see what other independent studios may end up being acquired in the coming months. Only time will tell.
