The Helsinki based game studio, Next Games, has been purchased by Netflix.<\/p>\n
The streaming giant paid $72.3 million (R1,1 billion) to acquire all outstanding shares for Next Games, pending the standard closing conditions.<\/p>\n
The Next Games’ Board of Directors unanimously signed off on the deal, showing their support for the acquisition.<\/p>\n
Mike Verdu, VP of games and game development at Netflix, commented that Next Games has a \u201cstrong track record\u201d as well as \u201csolid operational capabilities\u201d and that the acquisition was also geographically motivated as the European market is a \u201cstrategic region and key talent market.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJoining forces with the world’s largest streaming service, Netflix, presents an opportunity for a logical and exciting continuation of our strategy to craft interactive experiences for the world to enjoy,” said Next games founder and CEO Teemu Huuhtanen.<\/p>\n
Next Games was founded in 2013 and produced Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales as well as The Walking Dead: Our World and The Walking Dead: No Man\u2019s Land \u2013 both titles based on AMC\u2019s popular zombie show The Walking Dead.<\/p>\n
This acquisition comes after Netflix\u2019s 2021 purchase of Night School Studio – the developer behind Oxenfree – and indicates that the streaming service is serious about games development.<\/p>\n