A recent job listing (first spotted by Mobile Gamer) for Netflix Games’ Los Angeles office shows the streamer is looking to get into the PC game space. Its listing calls for a game director to “forge the game direction and creative vision on a brand-new triple-A PC game.”
This listing makes clear that Netflix doesn’t plan on stopping its game presence at mobile titles. And the game it’s hiring for will be “one of Netflix’s first generation of internally developed original games.”
Netflix’s LA-based studio opened its doors in October, and is headed up by ex-Overwatch EP Chacko Sonny. At the time of the studio’s announcement, Netflix Games VP Mike Verdu said Sonny was brought on to “help reinvent what games can be.”
What’s more, the job listing calls for a director with experience in first and third-person shooters, along with live service games. With Sonny’s experience in that genre, this further shows where Netflix wants to make its larger games mark.
Currently, Netflix’s experience in the game industry has largely consisted of mobile games and acquiring already established studios.
Interestingly, the listing also implies that Netflix wants the unannounced title to be a transmedia brand. In the section of responsibilities, one of the bullet points calls on the game director to “assist with onboarding new team members, and help with expansion of the IP into other media.”
It isn’t too surprising that Netflix is already looking at its hypothetical games as a gateway to further franchise opportunities, similar to how it currently views original series like Stranger Things. That said, it is maybe a little quicker than expected to see the streamer jump from releasing 50 mobile games (by year’s end) to putting out a PC game.
Triple-A game development is a different beast from mobile development, though. And it’s been shown in the past that for non-games tech giants entering the industry, their eyes have been bigger than their stomachs.