Netflix embarks on video game development

Back on Sunday, we reported on a pretty weird Netflix’s continued efforts to make the most of its relationship with TV mega-creator Shonda Rhimes: the news that the streaming service / content creator would also develop video games and virtual reality experiences based on the projects of Rhimes. (“Now you too can take on the challenge of trying to get Regé-Jean Page to make a skinny appearance for Bridgerton season two! “)

Ultimately, however, Netflix’s gaming ambitions weren’t relegated to stories about naughty looks and ripped bodices; the streaming service actually has decided to get into video games in a pretty serious way. This is through Hollywood journalist (working in turn to a report of Bloomberg), who notes that Netflix has just hired Mike Verdu as the new vice president of game development. Verdu’s last concert was at Oculus, a virtual reality company owned by Facebook, but it was previously a big guy in Electronic Arts’ mobile games division, helping to find ways to transform The sims in a microtransaction-powered phone game, which, hooray.

But, hey: not fair to judge the guy before he even had a chance to start developing all those fancy new Netflix games, especially when we have them. locations burn a hole in our heads. Give or take some Strange things games, Netflix has a lot of untapped IPs that are ripe for game development, and we would love to help Verdu exploit it, whether it’s creating a Orange is the new black jail escape simulator, or a Old guard action game, or maybe just this fake “Control Bo Burnham” video game from Inside.

Really, we can deploy them as quickly as we can scroll through the gargantuan, memory-resistant maze of original Netflix content. Queen’s Gambit chess simulator. She-Ra dating sim / action-RPG. BoJack Cavalier career management simulation. Maybe a Witcher video game (No, that would never work.) And, oh, my gosh, we’d actually play this one: A WarioWare-esque collection of micro-games where you can play each sketch of I think you should go. Did we just The secret this in reality? Crossed fingers!

This is to say nothing of the possibility of metagames about Netflix itself. Take the power of life and death in Show cancellation. Maneuver carefully your films in theaters for a week in Oscar nomination. And run at least understandable creatures in the universe in Yes, there are still people who send us DVDs in the mail.. The possibilities are limitless! We can’t think of more right now, mind you but we’re pretty sure they are.

Wait, no don’t finish the article, we just thought of a great idea for a Russian doll adventure ga—