Kids Aren't Dreaming of Owning a PS6, Says Netflix 1
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Netflix has been slowly pushing into the games industry, providing a catalogue of mobile software for subscribers to play. It’s actually assembled an impressive array of titles, with the focus generally on smaller-scale, pick-up-and-play experiences.

And speaking with new publication The Game Business, Netflix Games boss Alain Tascan insinuated that he doesn’t believe the future of the industry is in tentpole AAA console projects.

“[When it comes to] console, we started to look at the future where the platform is agnostic,” he said. “Look at the younger generation. Are eight-year-olds and ten-year-olds dreaming of owning a PS6? I am not sure.

“They are wanting to interact with any digital screen, whatever it is, wherever it is, even in the car.

“With console, you’re thinking about high definition, you’re thinking about the controller. If we look at this older model, I think it will restrain us.”

It’s not entirely unusual to hear the boss of Netflix Games say this, as his employer’s business is built on the foundation of its ubiquity.

But he does raise some interesting points: the target market for the traditional console has been increasing in age, with more and more kids generally satisfied playing on tablets or phones.

There’s also an expectation from younger audiences that games drive the hardware, and not necessarily the other way around. So, being able to login and pick up your progress anywhere, irrespective of platform, is becoming increasingly important.

The industry is almost certainly changing, and it’s going to be interesting to see what kind of impact the younger generations have on that.

It’s perhaps worth pointing out, though, that the biggest addition to Netflix’s gaming library thus far has been GTA San Andreas – a blockbuster originally built and designed for the PS2.

The Rockstar release was so important for the streaming platform that it, along with GTA 3 and GTA Vice City, went on to attract over 30 million downloads.

So while we take on board some of Tascan’s points here, clearly those traditional console titles still have some life left in them after all.

[source thegamebusiness.com, via videogameschronicle.com]