Netflix has managed to land a big fish for its own gaming endeavors. A former director, who worked in an executive capacity on Halo and Destiny, is to establish an all-new franchise.
Netflix has been trying to gain a foothold in the gaming space for quite some time. Subscribers to the streaming service get regular access to new games at no additional cost, but the really big hit hasn’t been there so far. This is set to change in the future and Netflix also wants to collect points among gamers with big AAA titles – and an extremely well-known developer who has now been landed should help.
It has now been officially confirmed that Joseph Staten will be working for Netflix in the future. Staten had only recently announced his departure from Microsoft, and now it is also clear where he is headed in the future.
Joseph Staten is considered a highly decorated developer in the industry, having made a name for himself as the co-creator of the major action and sci-fi series Halo and Destiny. In the future, he will fill the post of creative director at Netflix. As such, he will spearhead work on a “brand new AAA multiplatform game and IP.”
In my work life, there’s nothing I love more than collaborating with others to build worlds filled with iconic characters, deep mysteries, and endless adventures. 1/2
— Joseph Staten (@joestaten) April 17, 2023
The gaming division of the streaming giant is thus getting prominent growth and is continuing to expand. It was confirmed last month that Netflix currently has 16 original games in the works at in-house studios. There are also 70 other titles in cooperation with third-party partners. Netflix’s proprietary studios include Night School Studio, Boss Fight Entertainment, Next Games, Moonloot and Spry Fox.
The fact that Staten could now be won over to the program can be considered a coup. As Creative Lead, he laid the foundations of the story for the Halo universe. In relation to Destiny, he also contributed a lot of content and fundamentals as a co-creative lead. In 2013, after the Destiny launch, he left the Bungie development studio after 15 years to return to Microsoft. There he finally ended up at 343 Industries to work on Halo Infinite from 2020.
