Netflix is about to share some fresh details about its ambition to push deeper into video games, ahead of the planned launch of its Stranger Things game coming in July to PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile platforms.
The streaming giant is getting increasingly creative these days about how it presents content, with examples including its interactive film Bandersnatch that lets users make choices to control how the story progresses. Adaptions of its original series into video games is another area the company sees potential in, and Netflix is planning to make its debut at the annual E3 video game industry trade event next month to talk about exactly that.
One of Netflix’s official Twitter accounts made the news public with a surprise tweet late Monday, in which it sent a public message to the official E3 account asking for an invite to this year’s event. It seems that Netflix is planning to bring a panel to the E3 Coliseum program that will be called Bringing Your Favorite Shows to Life: Developing Netflix Originals into Video Games.
You can check out the full thread here:
Getting hype for #E32019. Hey @E3, can we get an invite?
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) May 13, 2019
In that thread, the E3 team goes on to ask for any hints about the game adaptations that will be discussed — and of course, Netflix via its sci-fi-focused Twitter account @NXOnNetflix is keeping things close to the vest for now. The company does re-confirm, however, that the launch of the Stranger Things game is still close at hand.
Netflix jumped into producing its own series and movies in the first place, you’ll recall, after the company’s leadership correctly foresaw that it needed differentiation to better compete against one rival after another getting into the streaming game. It’s heartening to see Netflix experiment to this degree, because it’s reflective of a company not standing still and trying to anticipate where fresh opportunities exist. The company is pushing deeper into movies, it’s even launched a partnership with Sirius to bring its content to the radio, and video games are apparently the territory where Netflix is going to plant its original content flag next. And if history is any guide, by the time the competition has caught up to them there, the streaming giant will be on to something else.
