Netflix: Kids Don't Want Consoles Like PlayStation 6

Netflix's President of Games, Alain Tascan, anticipates a future where gaming consoles play a diminished role as industry titans Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo forge ahead with new hardware.

The head of the streaming giant's gaming division shared his perspective on how players might soon access their favorite games in an interview with The Game Business, following a Netflix presentation in San Francisco. When asked at the event whether Netflix plans to venture into console gaming, Tascan expressed skepticism about whether younger generations are even intrigued by the prospect of something like a PlayStation 6.

"Look at the younger generation. Are eight- and ten-year-olds dreaming of owning a PlayStation 6? I'm not convinced," Tascan remarked.

He elaborated, "Regarding consoles, we're envisioning a platform-agnostic future. Are children today truly aspiring to own a PlayStation 6? I have my doubts. They want to engage with digital content on any screen, anywhere—even in the car. Console gaming traditionally emphasizes high-definition graphics and specialized controllers [...] Clinging to this older model, I believe, would limit our potential."

Tascan confessed to The Game Business that he maintains a personal fondness for console gaming despite his reservations, singling out Nintendo's Wii as a particular favorite. With extensive experience at studios like EA, Ubisoft, and Epic Games, the concept of traditional console releases is quite familiar to him. However, Netflix's trajectory is heading in a distinctly different direction.

While Netflix has successfully adapted its own IP into games through subscription add-ons such as Stranger Things 3: The Game and Too Hot to Handle: Love Is a Game, it has also experimented with providing subscribers access to well-known titles like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition. These games are readily playable directly on mobile devices, and as Tascan reaffirmed at the recent event, Netflix plans to intensify this approach by developing party games and establishing itself as a central hub for younger audiences and gaming families.

"I am deeply committed to reducing friction—eliminating it wherever possible," he told The Game Business. "Even the subscription itself represents a form of friction. While it's a sensible business model, we tested removing it for the mobile game Squid Game: Unleashed, and we're open to further experiments."

"Additional friction points include ensuring enough controllers for the whole family, the cost of hardware, and waiting for game downloads," he noted. "I'm scrutinizing every potential obstacle and exploring how we can minimize them."

He continued: "But the other friction is having enough controllers for family. Having a piece of hardware that might be expensive, that’s another friction. Waiting for a game to download, that’s another friction. I am [looking at] all the obstacles, and asking if we can reduce them as much as possible."

Netflix announced in early 2024 that game engagement tripled during 2023, signaling its ongoing commitment to the gaming sector. This comes after a 2021 CNBC report indicated that fewer than 1% of subscribers were utilizing its games. In October 2024, the company scaled back some of its more ambitious gaming initiatives by closing its AAA studio led by veterans from Overwatch, Halo, and God of War. A recent Game Developer report also mentioned that layoffs had affected Oxenfree developer Night School Studio, a team Netflix acquired in 2021.

As Netflix pivots toward a market it perceives as indifferent to dedicated consoles, there's little indication that Sony and Microsoft will abandon their plans for successors like the PlayStation 6 or next Xbox. Meanwhile, Nintendo stands on the brink of a new hardware generation with its eagerly awaited Switch 2. The company is set to reveal details about this new technology in an upcoming Direct presentation, where enthusiasts hope to learn more about the system's features, launch date, and pre-order availability.