Netflix Fishes for GTA; Talks With Rockstar Games Underway
Netflix is negotiating with Take-Two over terms for a Grand Theft Auto license. The streaming giant is trying its hand at including GTA in its offerings - and it's not about a TV show or a movie, but a full-fledged game.
Netflix is getting bolder in the gaming industry. In addition to expanding Netflix Games offer with its own productions, the company wants to tap into hit IPs from other developers.
According to information reached by journalists of the Wall Street Journal (via Rockstar Intel), representatives of the platform are said to be holding talks with Take-Two Interactive on obtaining a license for the Grand Theft Auto brand. If a deal could be reached, Netflix Games' future catalog would gain an undisputed ace up its sleeve. For now, it's unclear whether this would involve one of the previous installments of the gangster series, or a brand new production set in Rockstar's popular universe (in which case it would probably be aimed at mobile devices only).
Establishing such a partnership will be difficult, mainly due to the fact that obtaining a license for the highly profitable brand will probably entail an equally large expense. Nevertheless, given Netflix's recent activities in the gaming market, such a scenario is not unrealistic.
Ambitious plans
Some time ago there was a lot of talk about the cooperation of the streaming giant with Ubisoft, under which the French studio would create three mobile games for the former, including a spin-off of Assassin's Creed.
Netflix is also arming itself with experienced developers. A few months ago, the company was joined by art director of the latest installments of God of War, Raf Grassetti. He supported a team that previously included Joseph Staten - the screenwriter of Halo. The latter has been appointed creative director of a mysterious AAA multiplatform game, about which little is still known.
Let's add that at the moment the Netflix Games library counts more than 70 mobile games, and this catalog will continue to expand with titles intended not only for smartphones and tablets. In fact, in the future, players are to be given the opportunity to streaming of games for TVs and computers.
Finally, let us once again emphasize that the above WSJ reports have not been commented on in any way by the parties involved. Therefore, there is nothing left for us to do but to be patient and wait for the companies' official position.
