Earlier this year we reported that Netflix Games and Ustwo, creator of Monument Valley, had engaged in a partnership to produce their own mobile game exclusively for mobile devices.
The product of the collab – Desta: The Memories Between – is set to release later next week, as of the time of writing, on 27 September. The game will release for both the iOS and Android platforms on that date, and both a Steam and Switch port is in the works for the coming months.
Desta is a departure from ustwo’s previous games such as the their famous Monument Valley with the team describing it as “our first live-ops supported service game.”
ustwo CCO Danny Gray provided us with a recent interview describing their unique approach to mobile games, and the company appeared in our Top 50 Game Makers list recently.
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ustwo describes Desta’s gameplay as, “Unique turn-based strategy exploration through dreams and regrets.” Citing numerous influences such as roguelike brawler Hades, and strategy-puzzler Into The Breach, it’s clear ustwo are promoting Desta as being a full-fledged game in its own right, describing it as, “The deepest, most ambitious and most replayable title from ustwo games yet.”
ustwo have said that Desta will receive continuous updates and challenges for the foreseeable future.
Given Netflix’s market blip earlier this year, it’s no surprise that they’re pushing forward with diversifying their portfolio and further promoting their mobile games. Making Netflix Games a more appealing proposition to subscribers would help add extra value to their monthly subscription. As well as bring attention to what has turned out to be an obscure aspect of the Netflix subscription.
Not only that, but bringing in games that are of larger scale and complexity, such as featuring the previously-mentioned Into The Breach, and not just casual or tie-in games for their properties can only broaden the service’s appeal.
Having also announced a partnership with AAA giant Ubisoft, Netflix is clearly attempting to raise the number of subscribers engaging with their games section, which last reported only 1% of users engaging with it.
Similarly the move by ustwo to promote their game based on it’s single-player merits and tout both it’s full voice cast and replayability indicate a desire for player retention.
