Over the last few years, Netflix has been slowly building its video game library, offering a mix of games based on its popular shows, as well as many others that are unrelated to its TV offerings. If a new rumor is to be believed, Netflix has been working with Atlus on “multiple titles.” Apparently, one of the games will be “related to Shin Megami Tensei series,” but it’s unclear if this will be a new spin-off or an existing game. The rumor comes from @MbKKssTBhz5 on Twitter, who has been a reliable source for information about Shin Megami Tensei and Persona in the past!ย
The Tweets from @MbKKssTBhz5 about Netflix’s partnership with Atlus can be found embedded below.ย
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Persona and the Sega Pillars
A subsidiary of Sega, Atlus is best known for Shin Megami Tensei and its Persona spin-offs. The popularity of Persona has greatly grown over the last few years, to the point that Sega now considers it one of its most important; in an interview with the Washington Post last month, Sega co-COO Shuji Utsumi referred to Persona as one of its “pillars,” alongside Sonic the Hedgehog and Like a Dragon. In that same interview, Utsumi revealed that growing these pillars has allowed Sega to invest in dormant franchises like Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio.ย
Given how important Persona and Shin Megami Tensi are to the company, it’s not all that surprising that Sega could be bringing one of these games to Netflix. While the streaming service doesn’t attract a lot of video game users, the sheer number of Netflix subscribers is massive. If video games ever do start to take off for Netflix, that’s a lot of potential new players. Sega has also worked with Netflix in the past, releasing Sonic Prime Dash on the service last year.ย
Netflix Games
Netflix began offering video games as part of its service in late 2021. Over the last two years, users have been treated to a wide variety of games, including critically-acclaimed options like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. While Netflix has offered some exclusives, the vast majority of the games on the service are available on several other platforms. Without a major exclusive to really draw in users, Netflix has been struggling to become a relevant player in the video game industry; a recent report from The Wall Street Journal states that the company is looking for ways to start making money on its games, including options like in-app purchases, ads, and charging extra for bigger games.ย
In order to justify charging for bigger games, Netflix is probably going to need something that really appeals to gamers. An exclusive Persona or Shin Megami Tensei could do just that, but until we get an announcement from Sega, Atlus, or Netflix, readers shouldย take this all with a grain of salt!ย
Would you like to see Persona games offered through Netflix? Do you play games offered through the streaming service? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachampย or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
