Night School Studio, maker of Oxenfree and Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals, has just announced it's joining Netflix. The first video game studio to make such an announcement, Night School has basically confirmed earlier reports that Netflix was planning a big push into the video game market.
Reports surfaced over the summer that Netflix was angling to start streaming video games via its online platform, but Netflix itself never made any official announcement. Instead, Netflix just started casually testing out its own game streaming in Poland, offering Stranger Things 3: The Game and Stranger Things: 1984 to subscribers (and pulling those games off of Steam and GOG).
Night School's announcement is the first official confirmation that Netflix plans to start making its own video games.
"Of course, it’s a surreal honor to be the first games studio to join Netflix! Not only do we get to keep doing what we do, how we like to do it, but we get a front-row seat on the biggest entertainment platform in the world," said Sean Krankel, co-founder of Night School Studio.
"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."
Despite the acquisition, Krankel promised that development on Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals would continue. The game was originally announced last spring with plans to release next year on PC, Switch, and PlayStation, but with Netflix calling the shots, it’s possible the streaming giant might release Oxenfree 2 as an exclusive title.
We’ll have to wait for Netflix to break its silence on its plans for video game streaming to know one way or the other. In the meantime, the streaming platform is mere months away from bringing us Witcher Season 2 and the live-action Cowboy Bebop series.