Netflix has taken another bold step forward in the games industry with the hire of former Halo lead Joseph Staten.
Staten was creative head for Halo Infinite, and had been involved with the wider Halo series from the outset. He had announced his departure from 343 Industries (which is part of Xbox Game Studios and thus owned by Microsoft) earlier in the month. Now he has announced a new role over on Twitter, as spotted by Eurogamer.
Staten’s new job is as a Creative Director for “a brand-new AAA multiplatform game” at Netflix Games. Also intriguing is the mention that this will be “original IP”, rather than relying on an existing Netflix property.
Is it too much to hope for Halo on Netflix, then? Given Microsoft’s ownership of the IP, of course it is. But we’re certainly dreaming of an ambitious project on the scale of Bungie’s original sandbox shooter.
It’s another sign that Netflix is serious about this gaming lark. While its early forays into the field have been largely concerned with mobile gaming, there have been stirrings of something more.
We’ve heard numerous reports of the streaming giant setting up its own cloud gaming service, including from the company itself. This would open up the possibility of playing full-blown PC and console games through your Netflix account.
More broadly, the company has been busy both purchasing existing development studios and setting up its own. The result of this aggressive push into game creation is that Netflix Games currently has some 70 titles in development, with 16 being handled internally. You can expect to see 40 of those games released this year alone.
Before these fresh titles – and Staten’s AAA game – come to market, you can experience Netflix’s current gaming offering through the Netflix app itself. All you need is a smartphone and an active Netflix subscription, and you’ll have free access to a surprisingly strong library of games, including the brilliant TNMT: Shredder’s Revenge.
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
