After Netflix failed in the gaming business, it has turned into a provider of marketing tools, starting by streaming the new GTA VI trailer exclusively first.
At present, Netflix has stepped back from being a AAA game development studio to attract users to its streaming platform, but now the approach has shifted to serving as a marketing channel for blockbuster games. This began with a deal with Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive to premiere "Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look," a roughly 26-minute video revealing real gameplay footage of Grand Theft Auto VI for the first time.
New details of GTA 6 include a 6-star police chase level, a system to store clothing and weapons inside vehicles to change appearance while escaping, character conditions changing over the time spent fleeing the police, and an in-game social media system allowing players to spread content.
This collaboration is quite unusual since Grand Theft Auto VI is already highly anticipated worldwide. However, it has not been disclosed who is paying—Netflix or Take-Two—to access Netflix’s vast subscriber base of 325 million accounts.
This role change happened after Netflix did not succeed in running its own gaming business. It began offering games on its platform in 2021, but most users did not seriously engage with those games, leading Netflix to gradually shut down its game studios.
Jost Van Dreunen, a professor at NYU Stern School of Business who teaches video game business, said this deal benefits both parties. He sees Netflix as a content distribution hub reaching massive audiences and marks a major shift in how big tech companies and streaming services collaborate with game developers.
He also said Netflix can drive growth by enabling game publishers to reach wider audiences than console makers do and helps non-gamers become familiar with upcoming games, effectively turning Netflix into a marketing tool. He noted this model works especially well for blockbuster games.
. Source:Wired