Netflix has not been shy about its desire to jump into the video games space, recently announcing that the streaming giant will be expanding to make game content as well as movies and TV for its platform. But a recent datamine suggests that a partnership could also be forming with PlayStation to bring some of the biggest PlayStation brands to Netflix in some form.
Reported by VGC, dataminer Steve Moser appears to have uncovered PlayStation brand imagery and content in the Netflix app code. Moser shared the information via a tweet, including images of both the Ghost of Tsushima box art and some PS5 controllers. It’s unclear exactly what this means for Netflix, but if there is a burgeoning partnership between Netflix and PlayStation, it could see Ghost of Tsushima content come to the streaming service in some form.
Netflix’s gaming feature has a current working name of “Shark” and is represented by this image in their iOS app: a shark fin. Could an image of PS5 controllers and Sony’s Ghost of Tsushima (director’s cut coming Aug. 20th) indicate a partnership with $SONY? Cc @HedgeyeComm $NFLX pic.twitter.com/FLghlRlu20
— Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) July 15, 2021
Moser suggests that the gaming section of Netflix currently has the codename ‘Shark’, and the placement of PlayStation IP within that suggests a collaborative approach. This wouldn’t be the first major deal between Sony and Netflix, as the two companies agreed a deal earlier this year that means movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment will come to Netflix first after their theatrical run.
Netflix has been aiming to jump more into the gaming space for a while now. It was reported earlier this year that the company was looking to hire an expert in gaming content to lead a gaming division, and it recently appointed ex-EA and Facebook Gaming Executive Mike Verdu to do just that.
The company has also previously experimented with interactive stories through productions such as Black Mirror: Bandersnatch which adopted a sort of chooses your own adventure approach in its storytelling. However, the company has yet to release any full video game content, and it is still unknown exactly what Verdu will be doing at the company, as Netflix has yet to comment further about the role.
Sony has also been very vocal about wanting to do more with its franchises outside of gaming. We already know that a The Last of Us TV show starring Pedro Pascal is in development with HBO, and a Ghost of Tsushima movie has been greenlit. Given that many first-party PlayStation games are narrative-driven adventure games with a focus on cinematic stories, it makes sense to try and adopt games like Ghost of Tsushima and the last of us into movies and TV. Whilst PlayStation already has a games streaming service, PlayStation Now, it could also potentially be looking to push gaming content beyond the PlayStation console ecosystem, as Microsoft has done with Xbox Game Pass.
Netflix has a slate of upcoming video game content, with the recent release of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, and shows such as The Witcher: Season 2, an Assassin’s Creed adaptation, and Sonic Prime. Would you like to see PlayStation content join that line up? And would you want to see actual games join the service, or just new content based on existing PlayStation IP? Let us know in the comments below.
Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman