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Netflix is developing a new cloud gaming platform and is now hiring.

https://exputer.com/news/industry/netflix-hiring-develop-cloud-gaming-service/
It appears that Netflix is developing its own “cloud gaming service” alongside its mobile games. The particulars were revealed in a job listing for the senior rendering engineer position that some witnessed on its website.

Netflix is “rapidly expanding new gaming offerings.” Netflix is spreading its influence outside the mobile platform and looking to invest further into innovative technologies like Cloud gaming. The website cites, “Bring your passion for games and joy of enabling others as we build our games experience.

It continues, “We are rapidly expanding new gaming offerings, so we are seeking a rendering engineer who is excited to help us lead the continued building and scaling of our efforts for our international audience.

Netflix also mentions, “We are looking for a rendering engineer to support our cloud gaming service. In this role, you will help optimize the rendering of games so we can render multiple games on our cloud gaming appliances.

The senior rendering engineer will focus on writing high-quality games for its cloud gaming service. “You will also assist with the development of SDKs to enable game developers to succeed in writing high-quality games for the Netflix cloud games ecosystem.

Netflix’s new Cloud gaming service might be like Xbox Game Pass, Stadia, or PlayStation Now. It may become a worthwhile competitor to the aforementioned giants of the cloud gaming industry. We may not hear anything official regarding its progress for a long time; the new service appears to be in very skeletal stages.

If only 1% of users are using Netflix for gaming, which is already a popular mobile app that can run on mobile toasters, then why try to create a cloud gaming platform? The only reason why you would do that is to allow people with several devices, or older devices, to stream games, but the Netflix App is already on those devices.

Also everyone and their aunt charlie are coming out with cloud gaming these days, there's no way for all of these to succeed in the market place, there's little reason to own multiple cloud services. I don't want to be a downer, but i don't think this is going to work and Netflix should look into a new strategy to gain back lost subscribers, because gaming is full and that's the reality of it, there's too many services.
 
Cloud gaming is what makes sense for them since they're an entirely cloud based service at this point. The mobile strategy was a little bizarre.

We already saw those weird rumors of Sony / Netflix working together to get Ghost of Tsushima streaming. And they already own the devs of Oxenfree, so they could do some small narrative games pretty easily. I'd play it if it didn't cost extra.
 
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FingerBang

Member
Cloud gaming is what makes sense for them since they're an entirely cloud based service at this point. The mobile strategy was a little bizarre.

We already saw those weird rumors of Sony / Netflix working together to get Ghost of Tsushima streaming. And they already own the devs of Oxenfree, so they could do some small narrative games pretty easily. I'd play it if it didn't cost extra.
Exactly, don't get why people are surprised. This should have been there from the start. We keep talking about this or that company trying to create the Netflix for games, but you know who could do that? Yep.
 
Netflix is the one company who would make this pop off.

The problem is that they keep putting these shitty games like Halo and Control into these services. When it should be FARMVILLE, Scrabble, etc.
 
We keep talking about this or that company trying to create the Netflix for games, but you know who could do that? Yep.

Cloud had nothing to do with Netflix, their original claim to fame was streaming. If they can't get more than 1% of their streaming audience to play games than how much more will cloud gaming do for them?
 

Interfectum

Member
Tired This Is Me GIF
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
It is indeed it might be a bit further than you think as we first need to break the speed of light.

Quick! Get word out to all the big videogame publishers on planet earth who are all initiating big cloud gaming initiatives because they are all wrong...if what you say is true.
 

jakinov

Member
Cloud had nothing to do with Netflix, their original claim to fame was streaming. If they can't get more than 1% of their streaming audience to play games than how much more will cloud gaming do for them?
Cloud gaming allows them to greatly increase what kind of games can be included in their subscription not just native mobile games. Though it’s more or less true people don’t care about the games now but it’s a marketing issue and a library issue. They offer only a handful of native games right and most of what is announced so far is coming soon instead of out now. As the library grows and more people are aware they even have the option the numbers will go up and increasing the type of games what devices you can access them would only help that number.
 

hemo memo

Gold Member
Cloud gaming is the future.

Netflix knows this and is smart enough to be ready when it arrives.
Not worldwide. Hardware will be needed at least for the next 20 years and even then I don’t think internet speeds will be enough to stream high graphics without issues.

Hardware + subscription downloaded locally is the future with Sony and Microsoft offering their services to more devices as the market moves away from full priced games into a subscription service model. Again, I believe local stream hardware will be required for most people as gaming is not limited to developed countries.
 

Drew1440

Member
Can't wait for Netflix adaptations of classic games. Like their Resident Evil show? You'll love their game adaption.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

At TechCrunch Disrupt, Netflix VP of Gaming Mike Verdu dropped two bits of news about the streaming giant’s foray into games. Verdu said that Netflix is “seriously exploring a cloud gaming offering.” The company will also open a new gaming studio in Southern California.

“It’s a value add. We’re not asking you to subscribe as a console replacement,” Verdu said on stage. “It’s a completely different business model. The hope is over time that it just becomes this very natural way to play games wherever you are.”

Google’s Stadia and Amazon’s Luna have made the same play, attempting to peddle video games that people can play even if they don’t have an expensive gaming computer or coveted console. But these services have struggled to attain mainstream user adoption. Google recently said that it will shut down Stadia in January.

“While Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service,” Stadia VP and GM Phil Harrison wrote in a blog post.

Verdu thinks these products struggled due to their business models, not the technology itself.

“Stadia was a technical success. It was fun to play games on Stadia,” Verdu said. “It had some issues with the business model, sure.”

Both Stadia and Luna have dedicated controllers — but Verdu was reticent to say whether we can expect a Netflix gaming controller in the future.

He did reveal, though, that Netflix is stepping up its game development by opening an internal studio in Southern California. This is the company’s fifth studio — just last month, Netflix set up shop in Helsinki, Finland with a former Zynga GM at the helm. Others include Boss Fight Entertainment, Night School Studio and Finland’s Next Games, which are each designed to develop games catering to different tastes.

The new California studio will be led by Chacko Sonny, the former executive producer on “Overwatch.” At Blizzard Entertainment, “Overwatch” was a massive success, netting billions of dollars. Sonny announced his departure from Blizzard last year in the wake of an SEC probe regarding sexual harassment and discrimination at the dominant gaming company.

“He could have done anything, but he chose to come here,” said Verdu. “You don’t get people like that coming to your organization to build the next big thing in gaming unless there’s a sense that we’re really in it for the long haul and in it for the right reasons.”

Since it announced its foray into gaming, Netflix has 14 games in development in its own studios and has 35 games on the service now. In total, Verdu said it has 55 games “in flight” at present. These games include experiences based on original IP like “Stranger Things,” as well as licensed IP like “Spongebob Squarepants.” Netflix is also developing original games.

“We hope over time that the balance is like, 50% Netflix IP,” Verdu said.

The company still considers itself in the very early stages of its gaming initiative but hasn’t ruled out expansions beyond mobile — though we understand it won’t be heading to the console or VR at this point.
 
Ok, well Google made this a lot easier. So, just do the opposite of what they did with Stadia, and you’ll have a decent shot at success.
 
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