Netflix teases 'interplay' between TV shows and video games

Netflix is taking its first steps towards combining TV shows and video games into a unique inter-connected experience.

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With its interactive experiences like Trivia Quest, Bandersnatch, and You vs Wild, Netflix has arguably already game-ified its TV shows. Now the streamer wants to connect shows to actual dedicated video games, a plan that includes the new Exploding Kittens TV show/mobile game combo.

Netflix Chief Operating Officer Greg Peters says the "interplay" between shows, films, and video games is part of the company's long-term strategy for boosting subscriber engagement.

"[With Exploding Kittens], there's an early glimmer of where we're trying to head with this with the announcement we just recently did, with a launch of both a game and an animated series around the Exploding Kittens IP.

"I don't know if you're familiar with this card game, but it's a super fun physical card game that we're now going to bring to form in both an animated series and a game. And we'll have some interplay between these two different modes for fans of that IP.

"But that's sort an initial step on a long road map we have around thinking about how do we make the film and series side and then the interactive games experience, sort of the interplay between those, magnify the value that our members are getting from both."

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Peters goes on to say that Netflix will continue making strategic acquisitions of independent game developers to fortify its in-house content teams while also licensing its IPs out to external partners. The company currently owns three studios:

Netflix has also said that it eventually wants to bring video games to all devices, including consoles, browsers, PCs, and possibly even smart TVs.