Netflix Announces CHICKEN RUN Video Game

Published: November 13, 2023

Netflix Announces CHICKEN RUN Video Game

By Movieguide® Contributor

Netflix has begun a new phase of its video game business, focusing on creating experiences based on its popular IPs.

In the two years since launching its video game platform, Netflix has mainly focused on acquiring established game properties. Now, with a library of 80-plus games, it is shifting its focus into developing video games that tie into popular Netflix shows and movies.

In recent months, Netflix has released LOVE IS BLIND, TOO HOT TO HANDLE and THE QUEENS GAMBIT games, which performed better than the company expected.

“It’s no surprise that Netflix IP games resonate really strongly with members,” said Leanne Loombe, head of external games at Netflix. “Our members come to Netflix to watch these shows and movies, and with these games we’re able to expand those worlds and give them a new way to explore those characters.”

Building on recent momentum, Netflix announced four new games specifically tied to its IPs: CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET, MONEY HEIST, SHADOW AND BONE and THE DRAGON PRINCE: XADIA.

Through these games, Netflix hopes to bring the characters to life as players explore new parts of their worlds that the movies or shows gloss over. The CHICKEN RUN game, for example, picks up where the sequel ends, significantly extending the story told in the movie.

“We didn’t want to rehash to story in the film,” said game producer George Rowe. “We saw it was an amazing opportunity with Netflix doing games as well to broaden the universe out. We’re around people making the film, it’s in our brains all the time.”

“With ‘Chicken Run: Eggstraction,’ we’ve tried to bottle the soul of a CHICKEN RUN movie,” he added. “You’ve got to study the plans, pick the team with the right skills, and improvise gadgets to sneak into enemy territory…but somehow, it’ll go hilariously wrong – you are chickens, after all! This is our first game of this scale produced entirely in-house, and it’s been amazing working directly with the film team and Netflix to expand the Chicken Run universe.”

While these games provide Netflix an incredible opportunity to make its platform stand out and further connect subscribers with its content, the startup process for the gaming library has been slow going. Some reports suggest that only 1% of Netflix subscribers interact with the games on a regular basis, making the nearly $1 billion spent on the content difficult to justify.

Loombe compared the video game library to Netflix’s early days of producing original shows and movies, admitting that it is “relatively small.” However, Netflix originals now draw millions of subscribers through consistent hits that reach a large audience. The streaming giant views video games as having similar potential and plans for them to be a core part of the company for many years.

Movieguide® previously reported:

According to the Wall Street Journal, Netflix is currently working on turning SQUID GAME and WEDNESDAY into games for its subscribers, with plans for EXTRACTION and BLACK MIRROR games later down the road.

These titles would join LOVE IS BLIND and THE QUEENS GAMBIT on Netflix’s game library, which has amassed over 70 titles since it launched at the end of 2020.

Some reports estimate that less than 1 percent of Netflix subscribers interact with the platform’s games on a daily basis. This statistic is troubling as the company has spent roughly $1 billion on its gaming service so far. With the addition of recognizable IPs, the platform hopes to drum up more interest from the 99 percent yet to try out the service.

While the gaming service has yet to take off, the company never expected a quick pickup from its subscribers. Similar to the New York Times, which has millions of daily users on its website’s games, such as Wordle and Spelling Bee, Netflix aims to cater to non-gamers through casual games.