What you need to know
- Joseph Staten previously worked on a number of games, including Destiny and multiple Halo titles, including most recently Halo Infinite.
- Staten announced that is joining Netflix Games as a creative director on a new AAA multiplatform game.
- Netflix is continuing to expand its gaming division, acquiring three studios in the last couple of years and founding a fourth for internal game development.
Netflix is growing its gaming division in a big way, with a new hire marking the continued push of the streaming giant to break into gaming.
Joseph Staten shared on Monday that he is joining Netflix Games as creative director on a new AAA multiplatform game. Staten most recently worked as head of creative on Halo Infinite at 343 Industries before going back to the Xbox publishing division in January and then departing Microsoft in April.
So today, I'm thrilled to announce that I've joined @Netflix Games as Creative Director for a brand-new AAA multiplatform game and original IP. Let's go! 2/2April 17, 2023
Little else is known of what Staten and the team at Netflix Games are working on right now, as the company has slowly but steadily pushed into gaming over the last couple of years. In the last two years, Netflix acquired three gaming studios — Night School Studio, developer of Oxenfree and Oxenfree 2, remains the most notable purchase — as well as establishing a fourth studio for game development.
Netflix has also partnered with companies on series based on video games, working with Electronic Arts and BioWare on the animated miniseries Dragon Age: Absolution, which released on Netflix back in December 2022. Other upcoming projects adapted from video games include a series based on Horizon Zero Dawn from PlayStation and Guerrilla Games.
Windows Central's take
Despite a wave of layoffs across the gaming and tech industry over the last few months, gaming remains a hot point of investment, and for good reason, as by many metrics it's the largest entertainment industry in the world. I'm confident the industry will be bouncing back and expanding, so it makes sense to see Netflix continuing its investment.
That said, AAA game development is no easy task at the best of times, so we'll see how long Netflix is willing to go that route in addition to the more natural fit of bringing mobile games to its platform.
