Netflix Wants A Grand Theft Auto Game To Compete With PlayStation And Xbox
Remember when Netflix was a DVD-by-mail subscription service? It recently shipped its last DVD after successfully pivoting into a streaming juggernaut, and for its next trick, Netflix has set its sights set on getting into gaming in a big way. Efforts are already underway, though Netflix is apparently wanting to make a splash by securing a license for a new Grand Theft Auto game.
What happens over the next several years will be interesting to watch. Cloud gaming is finally coming into its own with services like NVIDIA's GeForce NOW and Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming, as well as Sony adding PS5 cloud streaming for PlayStation Plus Premium members.
Netflix is not competing with those services, at least not yet. The streaming service's entry into gaming is, so far, strictly on mobile platforms with titles like Vikings: Valhalla, Sonic Prime Dash, Bloons TD 6, World of Goo Remastered, Classic Solitaire, and many more.
Interestingly, Netflix doesn't charge extra for access to its growing catalog of games on mobile devices—if you're a Netflix subscriber, you can download and play them for free. Many of the titles have in-app purchases, naturally, but it's not required that you pay anything extra on top of your Netflix sub.
What's interesting is a report in The Wall Street Journal indicating that Netflix is making a deeper push into the gaming industry on the heels of bolstering its collection of studios over the past couple of years. According to the report, Netflix wants to expand its reach into higher end games that can be streamed to TVs and PCs.
That's not hard to believe, given that Netflix has been testing TV-based gaming with phones as controllers. Looking ahead, it's said Netflix wants to broaden the appeal of its efforts by taking advantage of popular IPs, such as Squid Game and Black Mirror.
The report also specifically mentions Netflix having discussed plans to release a Grand Theft Auto game of some sort. Netflix offers both first-party and licensed titles, and obviously GTA would fall into the latter category, should it come to fruition. It's not clear if the game would be a mobile title or something more robust that's designed to be played on a TV or PC monitor. We're speculating here, but another possibility is that Netflix could offer older GTA games (remastered or otherwise) through its service.
Whatever the case might be, Netflix at least has the potential to shake up the gaming industry. Whether it happens and/or if gaming remains a free perk remains to be seen.
