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'Are the 8-year-olds and 10-year-olds dreaming of owning a PlayStation 6?': Netflix gaming boss thinks consoles and controllers will 'restrain us'
Netflix's gaming division head questions the future of consoles, citing shifting player preferences towards diverse platforms and interactive digital screens, while also shutting down a AAA studio and announcing an AI initiative.
Netflix has made some notable investments in gaming, acquiring studios and lining its streaming app with an array of playable titles. (Reports suggest it's also recently shut down a AAA game studio featuring a team of former God of War, Overwatch, Halo, and Gears of War devs.) For Netflix gaming boss Alain Tascan, the game industry is a story of constant change, and kids these days might not care about theoretical PlayStation 6.
During a talk at the Game Developers Conference last week attended by GamesRadar+, Tascan was asked if Netflix might consider developing console games. Tascan noted that the company is "open to opportunities," but wasn't sure there's a tremendous "advantage" for Netflix to make games for console platforms.
"The person you should ask is not me. Look at the younger generation. Are the eight-year-olds and ten-year-olds dreaming of a PlayStation 6?" Tascan asked, concluding, "I'm not sure. They are willing and wanting to interact with any interactive digital screen, whatever it is, wherever it is, even in the car."
Tascan was quick to add "I love console," but console platforms are "limiting the way you think, because you think console, you think of high-def, you think of controller." He referenced major industry shifts like 3D graphics, mobile platforms, social gaming, and games as a service, saying "it changes. And if we look at this older model I think it will restrain us. I'm not wanting to quote Marshall McLuhan saying 'the medium is the content,' but for us, it can be. If we start opening our mind, I believe this is where it's going to be interesting."