Netflix establishes an internal games studio in Helsinki, led by former Zynga GM
techcrunch.comNetflix’s push into the mobile gaming market continues with today’s announcement the streamer is establishing an internal games studio based in Helsinki, Finland, led by the co-founder and General Manager of the Zygna Helsinki game development studio, Marko Lastikka. The studio will be the fourth for Netflix, joining others including Next Games, Night School Studio, and Boss Fight Entertainment, each designed to develop games catering to different tastes, the company said.
The streamer says it chose to locate its newest studio in Helsinki because it’s already home to some of the best game talent in the world. Notably, the location will also serve as the first studio Netflix will be building from scratch.
To date, the company has made deals and acquisitions to gain its way into the mobile gaming market.
Earlier this year, it acquired Finland-based Next Games, founded by a former Rovio exec, and the publisher behind “Stranger Things” and “Walking Dead” games, for $72 million. It also this year bought the Allen, Texas-based studio, Boss Fight Entertainment, as well.
Meanwhile, Glendale, California-based Night School Studio — the first games studio to join Netflix — just released its first title for the streaming service, Oxenfree, at the company’s Tudum fan event over the weekend. The game is Netflix’s version of the original 2016 title but now comes with no ads or in-app purchases and includes localization support.
The new Helsinki games studio is being led by director Marko Lastikka, who had previously worked at Zynga since January 2017, helping to develop Farmville 3. Prior to Zynga, the exec also worked as a GM and Executive Producer at Electronic Arts, developing the SimCity BuildIt mobile games for iOS and Android. Before
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