Netflix is reportedly planning to expand into video games

Netflix is looking to expand into video games with a new Apple Arcade-style service.

That’s according to a new report by The Information, which claims that the streaming giant has begun recruiting for an executive to lead future video game initiatives, which could include a games bundle similar to Apple’s service.

Launched in September 2019 and normally priced at $4.99/£4.99 per month, Apple Arcade offers unlimited access to over 100 games, all of which are ad-free, playable offline, and don’t include microtransactions.

In a statement issued to Gamespot, Netflix appeared to confirm its intention to expand its focus on video games.

“Our members value the variety and quality of our content. It’s why we’ve continually expanded our offering–from series to documentaries, film, local language originals and reality TV,” a spokesperson said.

“Members also enjoy engaging more directly with stories they love–through interactive shows like Bandersnatch and You v. Wild, or games based on Stranger Things, La Casa de Papel and To All the Boys. So we’re excited to do more with interactive entertainment”.

Netflix has previously suggested that it saw entering the games market as a significant challenge. Speaking in 2019, CEO Reed Hastings claimed Netflix had no intention to create a game streaming service.

“We don’t compete with Fortnite better by doing something like [a streaming service] because we’re not very good at that,” he said at the time. “We compete by doing the most amazing TV shows you’ve ever seen so you put down Fortnite and you come to watch our shows.”

Netflix has produced dozens of video game adaptations over the years, most notably The Witcher, Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania and a Resident Evil movie. Netflix is also currently working on movies based on two Ubisoft properties: The Division and Beyond Good & Evil, as well as an Assassin’s Creed series.

In 2018, it produced Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, an interactive movie based on choose your own adventure games.