Netflix Expands Gaming Presence with New Studio Launch in Finland

In a significant move to bolster its gaming offerings, Netflix has unveiled its fourth in-house studio, the first to be built from the ground up rather than through acquisition. Located in Helsinki, Finland, the new studio will be led by Marko Lastikka, a veteran of the mobile gaming industry with nearly two decades of experience. Lastikka's background includes stints at Digital Chocolate and Electronic Arts, as well as a tenure at Zynga, where he co-founded the company's Helsinki development studio and worked on titles such as FarmVille 3. According to Netflix VP of game studios Amir Rahimi, the new studio represents a key milestone in the company's mission to create a world-class gaming studio, one that will deliver a diverse range of engaging, ad-free, and in-app purchase-free games to its vast global membership. The launch of this studio comes a year after Netflix announced the acquisition of its first internal studio, Night School Studio, and follows subsequent acquisitions of Boss Fight Entertainment and Next Games in March.