Dreaming of streaming: Why Ustwo brought Desta: The Memories Between to Netflix Games
Earlier this year, Monument Valley developer Ustwo Games did two things it had never done before: it launched its first ever live-ops supported title, Desta: The Memories Between, and it partnered with Netflix Games to help create one of the streaming giant's first mobile exclusives.
We had the chance to speak with the UK studio's lead game designer Joel Beardshaw about why it decided to join forces with Netflix, which aims to have around 50 titles on its Netflix Games platform by the end of the year, to bring Desta to mobile, and it turns out there are plenty of benefits to working with the Stranger Things maker.
Straight off the bat, Ustwo explains that the aim with Desta was to bring what it describes as a "deeply personal story" to as many people as possible. The turn-based-tactics-meets-dodgeball-puzzler aims to explore themes such as self-reflection, loss, regret, and identity though the eyes of non-binary protagonist Desta, and the game will also be heading to Nintendo Switch and Steam early next year.
On mobile, however, Desta will be exclusive to Netflix Games, and the studio said it hoped that launching on the platform – which is available to all Netflix subscribers, including those paying for the cheaper ad-supported – will create a lower barrier to entry.
"When we had the first concept and prototypes for Desta, we knew we wanted to bring this deeply personal story to the biggest audience possible. From the first moment we talked to Netflix Games, we knew they could help us achieve this," said Beardshaw.
"Lowering the barrier to entry to gaming by offering Netflix Games to all existing Netflix subscribers, and giving everyone who may have never considered paying for a game like Desta the chance to play – it
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