As the war between streaming services for subscriptions rages on, some are looking to branch out into new arenas.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Netflix Inc. is making its first moves towards expanding into gaming.
The corporation has hired Mike Verdu as vice president of game development.
Verdu is a former Electronic Arts Inc. and Facebook Inc. executive, and he worked on popular mobile games at Electronic Arts, such as titles in the 'Sims' and 'Star Wars' franchises.
The goal is for video games to be on offer on the Netflix streaming platform within 2021.
Games will be set up like an other genre on the platform.
The steamer has experimented with interactive programming before, for example, through series like 'Black Mirror', 'Carmen Sandiego', 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' and, more recently, 'Headspace'.
Netflix has also previously licensed rights to games based on their shows, for example, 'Stranger Things'.
But this new project is bigger in scope than ever before.
According to a source, Netflix will be building out its gaming team in the coming months.
The Bloomberg report said the move may not generate much additional revenue, but it will deepen engagement, and makes it easier for Netflix to justify price increases in coming years.
The move follows Netflix getting fewer subscribers than expected in its most recently reported quarter.
At the same time, the streamer remains miles ahead of competitors like Disney+, HBO Max or Amazon.
Moreover this latest move gives it another advantage.
