Netflix Gaming Coming Soon, Sort Of
Microsoft isn't the only company that wants to tackle game streaming. In fact, the king of streaming is poised to enter the space as well, as Netflix has confirmed that it's going to begin streaming games in some form. That's a pretty big announcement, but if you're big on gaming, you might not want to get too excited.
Microsoft actually doesn't have very much to worry about as far as game streaming is concerned, as it sounds like Netflix will be streaming very basic "adventures." The path that brought us to this reveal is a winding one, with TechRadar reporting earlier today that Netflix is going to begin streaming Telltale's Minecraft: Story Mode through its service, along with a new Telltale title based on the beloved show Stranger Things.
Netflix eventually reached out to TechRadar to confirm that while it has entered a partnership with Telltale to begin streaming games, the titles we'll see offered through its service won't really resemble the Telltale games we're used to. Instead, they'll simply be episodic, interactive adventures. Netflix has already dabbled in these interactive adventures with series like Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout and Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, so it seems that we can expect something similar to those in Netflix's version of Minecraft: Story Mode.
It also said that the report of a Stranger Things game made for Netflix was flat out wrong. Telltale is making a game based around Stranger Things, it confirmed, but it won't be streamed through Netflix. It sounds like Telltale's Stranger Things title will instead be a full game, which makes this whole thing even more exciting.
So, those are two fairly big announcements. Netflix told TechRadar that it isn't getting into the games business, and views these interactive adventures as something different, so don't expect to see a Netflix game studio pop up anytime soon. There was no talk of a release date for either Netflix's version of Minecraft: Story Mode or Telltale's Stranger Things game, but we'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more.