Netflix expands its games team with the acquisition of Night School Studio

Netflix has strengthened its games team and also reaffirmed its vision of how it will add gaming to the platform:

We’ll continue working with developers around the world and hiring the best talent in the industry to deliver a great collection of exclusive games designed for every kind of gamer and any level of play. Like our shows and films, these games will all be included as part of your Netflix membership  — all with no ads and no in-app purchases. Stay tuned for more.

While we’re sure Netflix has a plan with data to back it up, we do feel there’s a market segment to whom this is a waste of time, and will resent paying ever-increasing subscriptions for services they don’t want. At some point we still believe Netflix will have to move to a differentiated pricing model, much as it does with number of screens / access to 4K.

Who are Night School Studio?

Founded by Sean Krankel and Adam Hines in 2014, Night School Studio is best known for their debut game, OXENFREE. Krankel talks about the takeover (euphemistically described as joining the team) via the company blog:

Night School wants to stretch our narrative and design aspirations across distinctive, original games with heart. Netflix gives film, TV, and now game makers an unprecedented canvas to create and deliver excellent entertainment to millions of people. Our explorations in narrative gameplay and Netflix’s track record of supporting diverse storytellers was such a natural pairing. It felt like both teams came to this conclusion instinctively…

You can read more in the blog post or the Netflix announcement.