Netflix wants to push the pedal on visual content. And while its newly launched gaming initiative pushes those intentions, the streaming giant’s acquisition of Germany’s Scanline VFX, further establishes that intent.
Since you may have not necessarily heard the Scanline name, remember those awe-inspiring, literally realistic visual effects in the Stranger Things series, specially in the 3rd season. Well, Scaline VFX is the company that came up with those effects, including the interstellar landscape of Cowboy Bebop and the ravenous vampires of Blood Red Sky.
Netflix says that the acquisition is subject to regulatory closures, and is expected to close by the first quarter of 2022.
Scanline was founded in 1989 and is now led by Stephan Trojansky, a highly reputed name in the VFX space. Trojansky’s proprietary fluid rendering system Flowline won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement in 2008. The company has offices in Vancouver, Montreal, Los Angeles, London, Munich, Stuttgart, and Seoul. Apart from all the Netflix titles it has worked on, Scanline VFX has provided special effects for “Game of Thrones,” “Black Widow,” “Black Panther,” “Captain Marvel,” “Iron Man 3,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” “Joker” and more.
Netflix says that it will invest in Scanline’s pipeline, infrastructure and workforce. The company will continue to operate as a standalone business and work with their variety of clients. “[We] will continue to support the pioneering work that Scanline’s Eyeline Studios is doing in virtual production to push the boundaries of what is visibly possible”, added a statement from the streaming company.
Netflix has been making several acquisitions of late, as it looks to get more content under its belt and offer a variety of consumption options to consumers. More recently, Netflix acquired its first gaming studio, ‘Night School Studio’, a storytelling game maker popular for its ‘Oxenfree’ title.
