Rabat- Streaming service giant Netflix is planning to create a video game adaptation of the popular Netflix Original TV series Squid Game, and the company has appointed a veteran in the industry to lead and oversee the project.
“We’re going to take a bunch of different approaches to try and be successful in [the gaming] space, just like we did in movies and TV shows,” Netflix chief operating officer Greg Peters said.
It is no surprise that Netflix is considering turning Squid Game into a video game adaptation. Netflix’s hit TV show is reportedly worth almost $900 million (MAD 8.12 billion) based on its impact value, according to documents reviewed by multinational software and media company, Bloomberg.
“The breadth of Squid Game’s popularity is truly amazing; this show has been ranked as our no. 1 program in 94 countries, including the US,” Netflix said in a statement.
Netflix revealed in its shareholder letter on Tuesday that 142 million subscribers have watched at least two minutes of the wildly popular South Korean drama.
The series has gone viral in several social media platforms, and the “Squid Game” hashtag has been viewed over 22.8 billion times on TikTok, according to an NBC News report, showing videos of people replicating the children’s games, while online retailers are rushing to sell “Squid Game” halloween costumes.
However, the series has also drawn criticism for its violence, and the Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) has urged parents to be vigilant in case their children “find themselves perusing their feeds and pressing play.”
As part of an effort to expand and diversify into new revenue streams, Netflix has announced earlier this year that they intended to enter the video game industry and publish games within their app based on their original series.
The company said the games would be designed for mobile devices, and would feature characters from Netflix Originals TV series and movies. The games will be included at no extra cost to Netflix subscribers.
