Netflix and Ubisoft have partnered to create three mobile games that will be available on the streaming service’s mobile app from 2023.
The announcement of the collaboration came at Ubisoft’s annual digital event, Ubisoft Forward, on Saturday, 10 September 2022.
The titles will be available to download from the Netflix mobile app for all subscribers. As with Netflix’s other games, they will have no ads or in-app purchases.
MyBroadband spoke to Netflix’s head of external game development, Leanne Loombe, who provided more details on Netflix’s overall gaming strategy and the role of the latest partnership.
Loombe began her game development career 18 years ago and previously served as senior producer at Electronic Arts, where she headed up the development of several Need for Speed games.
Loombe said Netflix chose to partner with Ubisoft due to its fantastic portfolio and variety of games.
The first title from the collaboration will be a new Valiant Hearts game, available to Netflix members in January 2023.
The game will be a sequel to the award-winning Valiant Hearts: The Great War and directed by the original core team. Netflix said it would retain “the same DNA” while featuring a new story.
The second entry will be a new The Mighty Quest game arriving sometime during 2023.
“This time, the game will draw inspiration from the roguelike genre to deliver an experience that celebrates the series’ premiere hack-and-slash combat in a fresh and highly replayable format,” Netflix said.
Finally, Ubisoft will develop a new Assassin’s Creed game exclusively for Netflix. No release date has been set for this title yet.
The streaming service is also working on a live-action series based on the well-known parkour-inspired open world adventure franchise.
Loombe explained that Netflix had chosen these three games as they catered to very diverse tastes.
“In discussions with Ubisoft, they were the three that we really felt were going to achieve our shared goals across the board,” Loombe said.
“With those three franchises and universes, we can capture different types of members with very different experiences.”
“Certainly from a character and story perspective, but also from a genre perspective, it really does allow us to provide that breadth.”
Concerning its broader gaming strategy, Loombe told MyBroadband that Netflix viewed its entry into the industry as a “natural progression” given its size and potential in the entertainment business.
She also explained how Netflix subscribers would benefit from the offering.
“You need a few hours to sit and watch a movie or a TV show at the weekend or in the evening, but with games, you can play for five minutes in your break, or you can play on your commute,” Loombe said.
Although Netflix Gaming is currently in an experimental phase, it already boasts a variety of titles across many genres — with styles ranging from realistic to cartoonish.
Subscribers currently have 28 titles to choose from, and Loombe said the plan was to have 50 available by the end of the year.
Source: My broadband
