The report noted that the Grand Theft Auto 6 Extended Look showcase even outperformed many other shows on Netflix, including live sports events. In a statement, a research analyst for Ampere Analysis, Katie Holt, noted that, while Netflix can’t directly compete with AAA game franchises, the company has managed to carve out a niche in the market around these releases.

“Netflix may not be able to compete directly with the biggest AAA game franchises, but it can vie for the attention around them. Trailers, reveals, and adaptations give Netflix a way into gaming culture without owning the games themselves. GTA 6 is a particularly powerful example, given the scale of the franchise and the anticipation around its launch.”

The analysis firm noted a few key findings, including the fact that 5 percent of the people who watched the Grand Theft Auto 6 showcase in the US hadn’t used Netflix in the last 30 days. Their return was marked by watching the Extended Look showcase before anything else on the streaming service. The Extended Look followed the final season of Stranger Things and MVP MMA: Rousy vs Carano in attracting more subscribers to the streaming service.

The fact that Netflix’s user base is more balanced across the gender divide, with 49 percent being male, is also noteworthy. The Grand Theft Auto franchise’s fan base is typically considered to be around 72 percent male, and the analysis firm has noted that Netflix gives Rockstar Games an opportunity to expand the upcoming title’s reach beyond its core gaming audience.

“More than 100,000 sign-ups from a six-hour exclusive window shows the pulling power of a major gaming event,” said Ampere’s senior research manager Louise Woodridge. “For Netflix, it also offers a way to compete with YouTube for gamer attention and to bring lapsed viewers back to the platform. For Rockstar, Netflix opens GTA 6 up to audiences beyond the franchise’s traditional core.”

Earlier this month, Netflix had confirmed that the Grand Theft Auto 6 Extended Look showcase had managed to garner over 31 million views in just its first week alone, topping the English film charts in 87 of the 93 countries tracked by the streaming giant. The showcase gave us a look at 27 minutes of in-engine gameplay and cutscene footage from the highly anticipated game. It was also noted as running on a base PS5, which gives us a good idea of what kind of performance we can expect from the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 Pro versions.

Another report has indicated that the Extended Look even caused a major spike in PS5 and Xbox Series X/S console sales. More data will likely become available as we get closer to the November 19th launch of Grand Theft Auto 6.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Netflix said that the company wants to prioritize its game development efforts towards more family-friendly affairs like party games and titles for children. The company also wants to focus on games that would garner more mainstream attention. “We see an opportunity to be more focused in our execution, so we are making organizational changes to the business to match those priorities.”

These organizational changes aren’t just limited to shutting down development studios. The company has also confirmed that its own games team is seeing job cuts. While the representative didn’t confirm how many employees were being let go, they acknowledged the process and said, “We are incredibly grateful to the talented colleagues we’re saying goodbye to today. We thank them for all their contributions to Netflix, and wish them the best.”

Looking to the future, the Netflix representative noted that “Games continue to be an opportunity for us to expand the variety of entertainment we offer Netflix members.”

Night School is a celebrated indie game development team that has worked on narrative games like Oxenfree, Oxenfree 2, and Afterparty. It was acquired by Netflix back in 2021, and its most recent outing was a 30-minute first-person horror experience dubbed Unhinged. The title was available to Netflix users through game streaming in the app.

Unhinged tells the story of two neighbors – played by Zoe Kravitz and Sadie Sink – trying to survive in the midst of a home invasion. It also features Troy Baker in an integral role. The process of playing Unhinged is also an interesting one, since the gameplay largely takes place on the user’s phone. The experience has been described as being quite novel, especially due to its short run time that doesn’t seem to outstay its welcome.

The horror experience was seemingly quite successful, with Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters saying during an earnings call from July that it was one of “our 2 most successful cloud game debuts” that was able to generate “really solid numbers that put it in the top tier of game performance for us.”

When Night School had first announced its acquisition by Netflix, the company had spoken about getting to continue making the projects it found most interesting and being able to use one of the largest entertainment platforms in the world. “The Netflix team has shown the utmost care for protecting our studio culture and creative vision,” said the developer at the time.

“For now, there’s a kaleidoscope of butterflies in our team’s collective stomachs. (Apparently that’s what you call a group of butterflies?) Because we truly believe we’ve got a chance to positively impact the way people discover, play, and share story games with each other.”

“I don’t think it’s any secret that their goal is to have as many subscribers as they can, and they want to deliver the best entertainment to those subscribers, so it stands to reason that they would make their way into the [gaming] business.”

When asked by host Andrew Ross Sorkin about whether Netflix had made any offers to buy Take-Two Interactive in its attempts to further spread out into the gaming business, Zelnick noted that Netflix isn’t quite a company known for making many grand acquisitions, and has instead preferred organic growth.

“So, you’ll have to ask [co-CEOs] Ted [Sarandos] and Greg [Peters], not me, about where they want to go with that. I think historically Netflix has not made big acquisitions. They’ve grown organically; they’ve done a great job at it. As far as us, I don’t know. I think we’re very proud of the way we built this company independently. We’re now the largest pure play that’s public in the space worldwide.”

“We expect to have over $8 billion in revenue this year. We generate profits year in, year out. I don’t mean to imply that that’s easy or even predictable. We have to get up every morning and do it. But I think if anyone deserves to be an independent company, we do.”

In another recent interview, Zelnick had also spoken about how the Grand Theft Auto 6 Extended Look exclusive to Netflix is going to be “one of the hors d’oeuvres” part of the game’s overall marketing plans leading up to its November 19th release. “There’s appetizers, main course, and dessert to follow.” He went on to call Netflix “a great marketing partner for us” while also praising the company as a distribution partner since Rockstar has previously worked with the streaming giant to release its older GTA games on mobile platforms.

Grand Theft Auto 6’s Extended Look showcase is going to make its Netflix debut on August 27th at 3 PM ET, and will then make its way to the larger public through a YouTube video slated for 9 PM ET on the same day. The title is being developed for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and as of yet, no plans for a PC version have been confirmed.

Zelnick has gone on to discuss the pre-order response for Grand Theft Auto 6, and while he didn’t provide any solid numbers, he noted that “Nobody’s ever seen anything like this before, at Take-Two or in the industry.” Despite this, however, Zelnick doesn’t want to celebrate too early, since “we haven’t sold one unit yet”, and pre-orders can be cancelled.

“There’s appetizers, main course and dessert to follow,” he explained about the marketing plans for Grand Theft Auto 6, and went on to call Netflix “a great marketing partner for us, and distribution partner,” referring to the companies having worked together in the past to release smartphone versions of older GTA games. In general, Zelnick has referred to the deal between Take-Two and Netflix as “a groundbreaking partnership that Rockstar arranged.”

As for how well pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 might be doing, Zelnick reiterated his previous statement that the numbers have been “unprecedented and astonishing,” noting that “they are also so unprecedented that we just don’t know how it’ll translate into sales.” He also noted that “we are very encouraged by the results that we’ve seen so far.”

“Nobody’s ever seen anything like this before, at Take-Two or in the industry. One of the reasons we’re not changing our guidance is, to be clear, we haven’t sold one unit yet. You can cancel a pre-order. We’re kind of allergic to victory laps round here, and we certainly don’t do the victory lap before the event.”

Zelnick went on to discuss the future of hardware, noting that while “rising cost of hardware is not a good thing,” he “doesn’t see it as a headwind” for the company’s future potential sales. This comes down to the fact that open systems are generally becoming more popular. “The world continues to move to open systems, and that will continue. 20 years ago, on a console release that was available on PC at launch, PC would represent 1-2% of overall sales Today that can be 40% or 50% in a similar situation, and I believe that’s going to grow.”

He also discussed the potential of game streaming that can lead to “machines that weren’t game machines before will become game machines”. This could even “potentially 10x the install base” over the next three years if low-latency streaming is developed. However, ultimately, these aren’t really statements about the company’s own plans. Zelnick acknowledged that these are simply his own opinions on the matter.

“I’m not putting it into our numbers, so I’m not that confident. I was really just sharing my opinion, and it could be entirely wrong, but there are enough companies working on this who either are already hyperscalers who have hyperscaler ambitions and capital that I believe we will likely get there.”

In the meantime, Grand Theft Auto 6’s showcase is going to include an extended trailer, and will make its Netflix debut on August 27th at 3 PM ET. Those without subscriptions to the streaming service will be able to catch it on YouTube at 9 PM ET.

The characters seemingly include a heavily modified assassin-style character who can scale walls and balance on wires; a spiky-haired individual who may be in way over his head; a mature man who’s seemingly on the verge of cyber-psychosis; and a child who’s filming so many different things. To what end?

We’ll have to wait and find out, but between hacked cars crashing into each other, explosions and bloody shootouts, Edgerunners 2 could one-up the original in terms of chaos. The theme “You Can’t Run From Me” by Rico Nasty is also a certified banger.

Thankfully, it seems Netflix isn’t messing with a winning formula, with Edgerunners director Kai Ikarashi and lead designer Kanno Ichio returning. Showrunner and writer Bartosz Sztybor is also back to make the whole world sad once more, and we can’t wait. And in case you want more, a first look is confirmed for Anime Expo 2026 on July 3rd, so stay tuned.

Well, the studio is at it again, as it’s working with Netflix to bring us Unhinged, a horror experience like no other. It’s about two neighbors, played by Zoe Kravitz and Sadie Sink, trying to navigate a home invasion. Equally popular is Troy Baker, who plays a currently undisclosed role, but we’re willing to bet that he’s the creepy bad guy in this one.

Even more interesting than the cast is that you’re going to be playing this one on your phone, with the game streaming directly to your TV via Netflix. That means you’ll take calls when it rings, and use its flashlight when the need arises in an interactive gameplay loop that’s probably going to raise a few eyebrows when it’s not raising your blood pressure. It’s a short experience, clocking in at a little under one hour, but that might be more than most of us can manage, considering the dark tone and the fact that its narrative is structured like a very intense Netflix episode.

Director Sam Warner told Rolling Stone that the game was influenced by his time with the Nintendo Wii and DS, besides stating that “novel innovative play” was a facet of the experience that he wanted to highlight. Unhinged is out on June 30th for all Netflix subscribers.

Well, Netflix’s attempt to bring the franchise to the silver screen might be a tad more successful at, you know, actually making it there, considering that it has a director known for crafting great action films. But Xbox seems quite intent on seeing its plans for the film through this time around.

Although details about it are scarce, other than David Leitch’s attachment to the project, recent statements in an interview with Entertainment Weekly suggest that the film will explore “the origin story of Delta Squad, a ragtag crew of soldiers who wage a desperate war for survival against the Locust, a race of subterranean creatures set on destroying humanity,” signalling a plot that could look at the time between E-Day and the first title in the franchise.

“The game really is about the bonds between teams. It’s about brotherhood at its core,” says Xbox CCO Matt Booty. “When you go visit the studio, their tagline is ‘Never Fight Alone.’ So when you think about that for a dramatic narrative, it’s a pretty good starting point.”

Of course, that could mean Marcus Fenix isn’t going to be a popular one, his rebellious nature a potential roadblock to the kind of brotherhood that the squad aims to build. It could be quite a good look at why we found him incarcerated in the early moments of the first title, despite his obvious talent and righteous nature often coming into play over the course of that story.

Time will tell if that’s the case, but you can be sure that we’re going to be on the edge of our seats, staring at our screens with rapt attention when this one finally comes along.

Despite following Studio Trigger’s hit first series, which debuted in September 2022 on Netflix and helped drive interest in Cyberpunk 2077, Edgerunners 2 is a new standalone story. It’s ten episodes long and set in Night City, but while there’s no date for when it will premiere on the streaming service, perhaps it will be revealed at Anime Expo.

Otherwise, very little is known about the story, aside from potentially featuring a new cast. Sztybor teased “a raw, real chronicle of redemption and revenge, something unlike what we’ve done before,” and while that’s certainly vague, he also gets a kick out of writing sad stories.

“When people are sad, I feel a bit happy,” he said at last year’s convention. Not that Night City has offered much avenue for happy endings, whether it’s in the official lore or the games, but you have to wonder how the team is upping the ante.

Is there any chance it could tie into Project Orion, aka Cyberpunk 2, especially if the sequel is set in a different city? Given that Cyberpunk 2077 features references and even a cameo from an Edgerunners character, it’s certainly not impossible, but we’ll need to wait for more details.

While Netflix has left out the finer details about the story of its Assassin’s Creed show, it has confirmed that its plot will revolve around a “secret war between two shadowy factions — one set on determining mankind’s future through control and manipulation, while the other fights to preserve free will.” The show will seemingly follow a variety of characters through major historical events of the era.

While Lola Petticrew, Toby Wallace, Zachary Hart, Laura Marcus, Tanzyn Crawford, Nabhaan Rizwan and Claes Bang were previously confirmed to star as regular cast members in the show, Netflix has now revealed more details. Noomi Rapace (Lamb, Prometheus), Ramzy Bedia (Of Money and Blood, Haunted Minds), Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible — Fallout, The Stranger), and Corrado Invernizzi (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Ford v. Ferrari) will be involved, taking on the role of recurring characters. The streaming giant has also confirmed that the show will feature Sandra Guldberg-Kampp (Foundation, The Rain, Electric Child), Youssef Kerkour (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), Mirren Mack (Hedda, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple), and Louis McCartney (Stranger Things: The First Shadow).

Roberto Patino—known for his work on DMZ, Westworld and Sons of Anarchy—and David Wiener—having worked on Halo, Homecoming and The Killing—will work on the project as its creators, showrunners, and executive producers. In a statement, the duo spoke about being fans of the Assassin’s Creed franchise since its debut back in 2007.

“We’ve been fans of Assassin’s Creed since its release in 2007. Every day we work on this show, we come away excited and humbled by the possibilities that Assassin’s Creed opens to us,” they said in a joint statement. “Beneath the scope, the spectacle, the parkour and the thrills is a baseline for the most essential kind of human story — about people searching for purpose, struggling with questions of identity and destiny and faith. It is about power and violence and sex and greed and vengeance.”

“But more than anything, this is a show about the value of human connection, across cultures, across time. And it’s about what we stand to lose as a species, when those connections break. We’ve got an amazing team behind us with the folks at Ubisoft and our champions at Netflix, and we’re committed to creating something undeniable for fans all over the planet.”

Patino and Wiener will be joined in their executive producer duties by Gerard Guillemot, Margaret Boykin, Austin Dill, and Genevieve Jones as part of Ubisoft Film & Television, as well as Matt O’Toole.

Netflix hasn’t yet confirmed any release date for its Assassin’s Creed series.

“It’ll be fascinating to see the next steps. I have been on the record a lot in the last two weeks talking about what I think the future looks like,” he continued. “I’m confident in our future that we’re not impacted by all that. In fact, maybe it’s to our advantage. But I hope I’m wrong for the sake of the industry.”

Warner Bros. Discovery presented “an incredibly unique opportunity” for Netflix, according to Sarandos. “We definitely wanted this asset. We didn’t need it.” As for the future, the company doesn’t seem to have any other acquisitions planned. Rather, the $2.8 billion it got from Paramount Skydance as part of the breakup fee will be reinvested in Netflix. “We are builders, not buyers,” he said. “All that is still true.”

Sarandos’ statement echoes the one he made alongside co-CEO Greg Peters when Netflix announced that it was pulling out of the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery. In a statement, they described the company as a “nice to have” if the price were right, and not a “must have at any price.”

“The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we’ve always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance’s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid.”

As for Paramount Skydance, its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery is valued at around $111 billion, with WBD shares valued at around $31 each in cash. As part of this deal, Paramount will own the entirety of Warner Bros. Discovery, including its film properties and studios, its linear cable networks, and even studios under the Warner Bros. Games umbrella.

Back when Netflix was still part of the deal, the company had not mentioned Warner Bros. Games in its announcements. Peters had noted that, while he was impressed with the games released by the division, it was “relatively minor” in the grand scheme of things. Despite this, however, he had noted excitement at getting to work with some of the properties built by WB Games, citing Hogwarts Legacy as “a great example”. He went on to note that, “They’ve got great studios and great folks working there. So we believe that there’s definitely an opportunity there. But just to be clear, we haven’t built that into our deal model.”

In the meantime, Paramount Skydance hasn’t yet made any statements about its plans with Warner Bros. Games. However, considering the amount of debt taken on by the company for this acquisition (around $78 billion), layoffs across Warner Bros. Discovery may occur over time.