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Netflix brings ASL interpretations to dozens of shows and movies for kids
Netflix is expanding accessibility by partnering with SignUp Media to offer American Sign Language (ASL) interpretations for numerous children's shows and movies. This initiative aims to make content more accessible to a wider audience.
Union slams Microsoft for "unfair labor practice", alleging Xbox "unlawfully" laid off staff
Microsoft's Xbox division is facing accusations of unfair labor practices, including unlawfully laying off staff without proper union notification or discussion. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has filed complaints alleging refusal to bargain and coercive actions. Meanwhile, Netflix reported a 600% surge in kids' game engagement, driven by its dedicated mobile app, and expressed confidence in scaling its cloud gaming offerings.
Netflix says its critically-panned FIFA World Cup video game was a 'top tier' performer
Netflix has reported that its cloud games, specifically FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition and Unhinged, achieved 'top tier' performance and were its most successful cloud game debuts. Despite critical reception for FIFA World Cup, Netflix highlighted significant growth in its kid-focused 'Netflix Playground' app and an 11x increase in monthly active cloud game players since October.
Netflix Playground drives 600% surge in kids games engagement
Netflix's dedicated kids games app, Netflix Playground, has seen a 600% year-on-year increase in engagement since its April launch, tripling its daily player count. The company is also scaling its cloud gaming offerings, with monthly active players increasing elevenfold. Netflix is investing in its games division across four pillars: mainstream, narrative, party, and kids games.
Netflix's games strategy might be a mess, but Oxenfree studio's ingenious new chiller-thriller shows it has a secret weapon
Netflix's new horror game, Unhinged, developed by Night School Studio, utilizes a unique mechanic where players use their own mobile device to interact with the in-game character's phone. This innovative approach blurs the lines between the player's reality and the game's narrative, creating an immersive experience. Despite Netflix's often inconsistent gaming strategy, Unhinged showcases Night School Studio's potential as a secret weapon for the streaming giant.
AI Yi-Yi!
Chinese AI firm Moonshot AI claims its Kimi K3 model is competitive with OpenAI and Anthropic. Separately, Netflix reportedly paid $587 million for Ben Affleck's AI firm, InterPositive, highlighting significant investment in the artificial intelligence sector.
Business and Finance
Netflix has reported a significant 600% growth in its games business, though the company acknowledges it is still in the early stages of development. This expansion indicates a growing focus on interactive entertainment as a key area for the streaming giant.
Netflix Says Part Of Its Games Business Is Up 600%, But It’s Still Early Days
Netflix has reported significant growth in its gaming division, with engagement for kids' mobile games surging 600% year-over-year. Cloud gaming has also seen a substantial increase in monthly active players, growing 11x since October 2025. While still in its early stages, Netflix sees strong potential and is refining its strategy, focusing on social and party games, with upcoming titles like Netflix Minigolf integrating popular franchises.
Netflix admits to using GenAI both in the app and on 300 movies and shows in 2026 alone
Netflix has admitted to using Generative AI in the production of approximately 300 movies and shows in 2026, aiming to reduce costs and increase production speed. The company stated that AI tools are primarily used in post-production to enhance scenes and sequences that might otherwise be omitted due to budget constraints. Additionally, Netflix employs AI on its platform to improve title discovery and personalize content recommendations for users.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse isn't technically connected to the Netflix anime, but its cinematography was…
Konami has confirmed that Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is not directly connected to the Netflix anime series, though its art style and cinematography were intentionally inspired by it. The developers aimed to make the game welcoming to fans of the anime who may not have played previous Castlevania titles.
Evening Reading - July 16, 2026
This edition of Shacknews Evening Reading covers various industry news, including layoffs at ZeniMax Online Studios, the Call of Duty League Championship, and NVIDIA's expansion into Japan. It also features reviews for Denshattack! and Buc-ee's, a look back at Two Point Studios' decade, and mentions of Netflix's earnings and Hasbro's deal with Nintendo for Legend of Zelda toys. The article also highlights rotoscoping in indie game development and includes a personal reflection from CEO Asif Khan.
Netflix admits to using generative AI in roughly 300 of its shows
Netflix has revealed that generative AI has been utilized in approximately 300 of its shows, spanning from concept development to post-production. The company intends to continue employing these tools to enhance output quality and speed while reducing costs, despite ongoing industry concerns and lawsuits related to AI usage.
Netflix says it's already used AI in 'roughly 300' titles this year
Netflix has utilized artificial intelligence in approximately 300 of its titles this year, indicating a growing integration of AI in its content production processes. This trend is expected to continue, with the number of AI-assisted titles likely to increase.
Netflix (NFLX) Q2 2026 earnings results miss EPS whisper number and revenue expectations
Netflix reported its Q2 2026 financial results, missing revenue expectations and falling short of the 'whisper number' for earnings per share, despite beating the consensus EPS estimate. The company's stock saw a significant drop in after-hours trading. Netflix also announced a record $4.7 billion in stock buybacks during the quarter.
Netflix (NFLX) spent $4.7 billion buying back its stock in Q2 2026
Netflix announced in its Q2 2026 earnings report that it spent $4.7 billion on stock repurchases, marking the largest quarterly buyback in the company's history. This move follows a slight revenue miss and comes after the company's board authorized an additional $25 billion for stock repurchases.
Halo TV Show Director Comes Aboard Odysseus TV Show As Nolan’s The Odyssey Hits Theaters
A new television series titled Odysseus is in development, with Roel Reiné, a director from the Halo TV show, attached to direct. The series, described as visceral and muscular, is based on Homer's epic poem and aims to expand into a larger universe. Filming is slated to begin in early 2027, with no release date or platform announced yet. This project is separate from a film adaptation of The Odyssey, which is also set to release soon.
New Netflix Game Brings Together The Streamer’s Most Popular Shows
Netflix has announced Netflix Minigolf, a new couch co-op party game featuring characters and settings from popular shows like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and Squid Game. Developed by Next Games, the game will be available to all subscribers on July 28 and utilizes a phone as a controller. Netflix aims to establish itself as a natural destination for story-driven games.
Netflix releases a VHS-quality version of Stranger Things' first season
Netflix has released a special 'VHS' edition of the first season of its popular series Stranger Things. The company indicated that more seasons could receive similar treatment if this version garners sufficient viewership.
Midday Metaverse
Mozilla's Firefox browser is adopting a faster release schedule, aligning with similar changes made by Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. In separate news, Netflix has secured a video podcast deal with celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni.
US States Are Trying to Stop Paramount Skydance From Owning Mortal Kombat (And Everything Else)
A coalition of 12 US state attorneys general is suing Paramount Skydance to block its proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, citing violations of antitrust laws. The states argue the merger would stifle competition, reduce content quality, and harm movie theaters. Paramount Skydance contends the lawsuit misapplies antitrust laws and that the merger is necessary to compete with streaming giants like Netflix. The acquisition would also transfer ownership of Warner Bros. Games, including studios like NetherRealm Studios and Portkey Games, to Paramount Skydance.