Netflix's Potential 'GTA' Game: What We Know and Expect

Netflix’s Potential ‘GTA’ Game – As we wait with bated breath for Grand Theft Auto 6, rumours of a new GTA game coming to Netflix have already started doing the rounds. Yes, the same Netflix where you binge-watch your favourite shows.

In the post-COVID era, the gaming industry has become a huge money-minting opportunity for publishers and Netflix is not shying away from grabbing it with both hands with its Games Service. Although you may wonder why anyone would even bother playing a video game from Netflix instead of a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X exclusive, official data suggests otherwise.

Netflix’s short roster of video game titles has already amassed a total of 70.5 million downloads! In other words, there’s a lot of scope for growth, which will likely be achieved by drawing a younger audience and keeping them engaged on the platform.

Netflix’s Gaming Success

Image Credits: Courtesy Rockstar Games (Representational Image)

A lot of this success has to do with Netflix Games Service’s easy availability on smartphones and tablets. So far, Netflix has developed some original titles for its subscribers and also expanded its collection by acquiring licenses for a couple of existing mobile games.

However, the roster lacks a blockbuster title and Netflix is banking on the Grand Theft Auto franchise to change that. If some of the recent rumours are anything to go by, a new GTA game on Netflix is about to debut soon.

Now before you get all excited and let your imaginations run amok, this game is not connected to GTA 6 or GTA 7 in any capacity. For all we know, it could simply be another case of Netflix offering a previously announced title, this time from the GTA series.

Even though Netflix and Rockstar Games are yet to break their silence on the matter, whispers from industry insiders have hinted at the streaming platform exploring the possibility of acquiring the licence for a Grand Theft Auto title.

According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, the streaming giant is already in talks with Rockstar Games to release a GTA game under licence on its Games Service and make its ever-expanding portfolio more lucrative.

Sadly, we don’t know anything about the details of this alleged deal. While many point to the possibility of this being an entirely new mobile game for the GTA franchise, it’s more likely that Netflix will take the safer route and induct an already available title from Rockstar Games’ award-winning roster.

What to Expect: A New ‘GTA’ Game on Netflix?

The Grand Theft Auto franchise has always revolved around giving your protagonist an open world to explore. With the advent of the 3D world in GTA 3, these games have always been at the mercy of a large team of creators leaving no stone unturned to offer an unparalleled experience. Rockstar Games has explored the idea of a mobile-friendly game in the past with GTA: Chinatown Wars but the experience left a lot to be desired. The studio eventually dropped the idea and started porting its existing games to modern smartphones.

Hence, the possibility of Netflix and Rockstar Games working on a brand-new mobile game seems far-fetched.

That seems more likely.

Netflix has done this in the past by acquiring the rights to offer popular mobile games like Asphalt Xtreme, Oxenfree, Immortality and Spiritfarer. Rockstar Games already has an impressive suite of games adapted for Android and iOS platforms under the GTA franchise.

Older titles such as Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas have been on the shelves of Google Play and Apple’s App Store for years, each commanding a premium price. It is highly likely that Netflix would strike a deal to obtain the distribution licences for these games and offer them for free to Netflix subscribers.

A Revival Opportunity

On the other hand, Netflix could also be eyeing an exclusive release of Rockstar Games’ rather unsuccessful remastered editions of the vintage GTA games. Rockstar Games released the remastered editions of these above-mentioned GTA titles a few years ago, titled Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. The idea was to revise the graphics and release these games as part of a fresh new package on PCs and smartphones. Sadly, the release received a lot of backlash from nostalgia-driven gamers and Rockstar Games never released The Definitive Edition for smartphones.

Now that Netflix is interested in offering a GTA title as part of its Games Service, Rockstar Games could try to revive the project and give Netflix the exclusive rights to finally release Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition on mobiles and tablets. All we hope is that these games are released without the bugs and issues that PC players dealt with in the past.

While there is no official confirmation yet, the prospect of a GTA game coming to Netflix’s Games Service is undoubtedly exciting for gamers and Netflix subscribers alike. Whether it’s an entirely new mobile game or a classic GTA title, only time will tell. In the meantime, keep an eye out for more updates on this thrilling development.