Ustwo Games is revisiting the series that was a huge hit over a decade ago. Monument Valley 3The third game was announced for Gamescom 2024, but unlike its predecessors it will avoid the App Store and be released exclusively on Netflix Games.
This is not Ustwo's first collaboration with Netflix. Desta: Between memories The platform will give all subscribers access to a growing list of video games on smartphones and other devices, and eventually on PC and Nintendo Switch.
But Monument Valley is something else. When it launched in 2014, the atmospheric puzzle game became a flagship product for Apple's digital marketplace, inevitably leading to a sequel. Monument Valley 2debuted as an iOS exclusive in June 2017, coming to Android a few months later. So what's changed?
We spoke to the game developer about Ustwo's decision to renew its partnership with Netflix. Monument Valley 3Lead producer John Lau says today's App Store is very different from the one that connected the studio to new audiences years ago.
Monument Valley is a completely different place than it was 10 years ago.
“When you think about the options in a market economy, it's not like it was 10 years ago. I think discoverability is the key thing we're trying to maximize. It's really important to get our games to as many people as possible,” Lau said.
He feels like the App Store currently prioritizes free games and titles that prioritize “high user acquisition” above all else. As a result, he says apps that: Monument Valley 3 It will then move to mobile through subscription services like Netflix Games, where “people can actually watch it,” he said.
“In that respect, you get to stay in Monument Valley without having to change game mechanics or do what you need to do to survive in another world. [ecosystem]” continues Lau.[The Netflix Games deal is about] We set out to make the kind of games we wanted to make, without compromising to survive in the modern App Store.”
Game director Jennifer Esterlis agreed, stressing that the deal with Netflix was about audience retention, pointing to the streamer's massive subscriber base, which currently reaches some 270 million households in more than 190 countries, as an obvious benefit.
In a recent financial reportNetflix said it has “more than 500 million viewers,” and argued that video game development and deals are core to the company's mission to create “great stories that appeal to a variety of tastes.” To elaborate on that point, Esteris said that Netflix's core subscriber base is families, Monument Valley 3 It will thrive among that demographic.
Netflix's high subscriber numbers are good news, but in 2022 Fewer than 1% of paying customers downloaded the gameIt is unclear how much the situation has changed, grand theft auto Trilogy recently hit 30 million downloadsUstwo seems confident it can achieve similar success.