Wen | Zhang Shule (Columnist of People's Daily And People's Post and Telegraph, Observer of Internet and Game Industry)
Can you imagine how hot Squid Games would be with games made by Netflix himself?
Are you willing to try, while brushing the drama, while playing the game to relive the joy of the plot?
This is not a fool's dream.
On March 2, Netflix announced a tender offer for Finnish game developer Next Games (NXTGMS) for approximately €65 million.
In July 2021, there were media reports that Netflix would venture deeper into video games as it expected weak subscriber growth for film and TV streaming services.
At that time, it was reported that Netflix, which was preparing to enter the game field, already had relevant talent reserves in some important positions.
In March 2022, Netflix's previous plan began to have a more practical landing.
Next Games is Finland's first publicly available mobile game developer and publisher.
According to Next Games' official website, its game works are mainly based on movies, TV series or books.
The company's latest game, Strange Things: A Riddle Story, is based on Netflix's hit horror drama of the 1980s.
Next Games' previous game work, The Walking Dead: No Man's Land, is also reported to be based on AMC TV's TV series The Walking Dead.
A company that has been effective in adapting games on popular movies and televisions is eaten by Netflix, and the next action can be imagined.
It's just, what can Netflix get?
In this regard, Chen Yibo, a reporter from China Business Daily, had an exchange with Shule, and poor Dao thought:
The money that can be earned on film and television is a fraction of the game, and Netflix with IP naturally has to expand and make money in the game to spend in film and television.
However, some industry reviews believe that TV series, like movies, are actually god's perspective, have a strong sense of authorship, if it is adapted into a game from the player's point of view, it does not feel good, and there are few hits.
I have to say that there is a correct side to this view.
Film-game linkage is actually a two-way obstacle.
Film and television have changed a lot of games, but the popularity is general, often using IP to achieve a state that is close to making a steady profit but not making much money.
Therefore, many film and television anime and network text IP have become games in large quantities but few hits.
Not making money does not mean not making money, and this should be clearly distinguished.
Film and television adaptation of the game, the advantages and disadvantages are obvious.
The advantage is that film and television fans are precisely the box office guarantee of the adapted game, and it is also the basis for why it is basically stable and profitable.
The disadvantage is that after a moment of popularity, due to the mismatch between the game content and structure and the film and television (such as the end of the film and television drama love story, the game will naturally have a final node, and the adaptation will be disliked by the original party), so it is difficult to become a hit.
Netflix's move is not to become a game giant, but to open up a new doorway to making money with content.
Content platform for the game drainage is the best fastest, strongest and shortest monetization channel, B station so, headlines so, Netflix is not exempt.
Since this adaptation is not completely unprofitable, it is not entirely unprofitable.
The reason why game adaptation film and television is lacking in interest in film and television and game companies is that its innovation drive is insufficient, because even if film and television are popular, they only earn a fraction of the game.
On the other hand, if the big hit film and television is adapted into a game, even if it is a small profit, it is often more than the film and television itself, so many film and television animation and online text IP have been adapted into games in large quantities.