Netflix Inc.¡¯s foray into gaming is raising more eyebrows than excitement among analysts.
Though there¡¯s long been speculation that Netflix might move into video games, Wednesday¡¯s news that it had hired an executive to lead the effort ¡ª and would start adding titles to its streaming platform in the next year ¡ª came as a surprise to many. The Los Gatos, California-based company doesn¡¯t have the infrastructure or the expertise to create or support top-tier games, analysts said. And that capability won¡¯t be easy to build.
¡°They don¡¯t have a game catalog ¡ª they haven¡¯t cultivated a base of gamers in their audience,¡± said Lewis Ward, research director for gaming at IDC. ¡°And they don¡¯t have an internal studio or infrastructure to handle a service.¡±
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