Netflix’s top gaming boss, Alain Tascan, has said he questions whether or not young people these days even care about consoles. Speaking at an event at GDC 2025 recently, Tascan said he personally enjoys console gaming, but he’s not sure if it’s where gaming is headed in the future. Of course, Tascan would say this, as his company, Netflix Games, does not make consoles and is instead intent on pushing people toward streaming and subscription services.
“[When it comes to] console, we started to look at the future where the platform is agnostic,” he said, as reported by The Game Business. “Look at the younger generation. Are eight-year-olds and 10-year-olds dreaming of owning a PlayStation 6? I am not sure. They are wanting to interact with any digital screen, whatever it is, wherever it is, even in the car. With console you’re thinking about high definition, you’re thinking about the controller […] If we look at this older model, I think it will restrain us.”
Before this Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has said for years that Microsoft is pushing beyond consoles into places like streaming and mobile to help reach a bigger audience. The audience for console gaming is only so large, Spencer and others have said. For what it’s worth, Spencer has also said consoles will absolutely be a part of Microsoft’s future in gaming.
Netflix Games was working on a AAA project with major talent behind it, but scuttled those plans and is now focused on making party-style games that appeal to children and can be streamed to a TV or played on a mobile device. This is already happening, as Netflix.com allows you to stream games directly from your browser, while the Netflix Games lineup on mobile offers a variety of games to download.
Tascan also said during the talk that his directive as Netflix’s gaming boss is to help lower the “friction” that can come with gaming and give people an option to bypass “expensive” consoles.
To be sure, people absolutely still want to buy dedicated gaming consoles. Sales of the PS5 are up significantly over the PS4 over a similar period of time in the US. The same cannot be said for Xbox, however, as Series X|S sales are lagging behind Xbox One sales in the US. Nintendo is expected to announce more details about the Switch 2 on April 2, and the system is no doubt going to be a major seller when it launches this year.
Looking further out, Sony is believed to be working on the PS6, while Microsoft has already confirmed plans for the next Xbox.