Netflix acquires developer Oxenfree Night School Studio



[ad_1]

Netflix has acquired Without beef developer Night School Studio, the companies announced Tuesday. The game studio, known for its branching narratives, will create original games for the streaming platform’s nascent foray into video games.

Night School Studio founder Sean Krankel said in a blog post about the acquisition the company would continue to work on. Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals, who it currently plans to launch in early 2022 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC. As the first game studio to join Netflix on this new project, Krankel said, Night School wants to “expand [its] narrative and design aspirations through distinctive and original games with heart.

Krankel added, “Our explorations into narrative gameplay and Netflix’s track record of supporting various storytellers were such a natural pairing. It was as if both teams had come to this conclusion instinctively.

Night School Studio actually has a history with Netflix, as it reportedly worked on a Strange things game with the closed studio Telltale Games. The Night School game was scheduled to be released for Strange things‘third season, according to a report from The Verge, and was created to “bridge the gap” between seasons 2 and 3. The project was never announced or canceled, according to The Verge, and the game “went on. evaporated “after Telltale’s surprise shutdown in 2018. Neither Netflix nor Night School Studio mentioned this project in their press releases.

Before the report Strange things game, Night School Studio has released a Mr. Robot mobile game, Mr. Robot: 1.51exfiltration, based on the USA Network show with Rami Malek. In 2019, the developer released After the party, one in two college graduates trying to outdo Satan.

Netflix itself already has a small suite of games in its lineup, a few of which are currently being tested on Netflix’s test game app in Italy, Poland and Spain. A limited selection of players in these countries can access two mobile games: Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game. In the press release issued on Tuesday, Netflix vice president of game development Mike Verdu said the games would eventually be available as part of a standard Netflix subscription – “all without ads or in-app purchases.”

Games available in the eventual Netflix catalog should be based on existing Netflix properties.

In July, Netflix COO Greg Peters said the company’s push into video games – in particular, right now – “is a good time to learn more about how our members enjoy the games “. Indeed, the streaming platform seems to be interested in the media; Apart from its mobile gaming platform, Netflix has also shown a keen interest in original TV shows and movies based on video game franchises, like The Witcher, Dota and Castlevania, plus shows inspired by the games. video, based on Magic: The Gathering, Sonic the hedgehog, and League of Legends, also arrive.



[ad_2]

Source link