Dr Disrespect Knows Where He Wants To Stream Next
Controversial streamer Dr Disrespect has seemed a bit adrift ever since he was banned from Twitch under mysterious circumstances. Although the gaming personality has a solid following on YouTube, it seems he has a new home in mind. The streamer has been dropping hints that he would be interested in partnering up with Netflix, and in a recent stream even said he envisions himself as "the head of [a] Netflix streaming platform."
While setting that role as a starting point might be a bit grandiose (in typical Dr Disrespect fashion), the streamer managed to dial it back a little during his July 28 stream to offer some insight into the potential that Netflix could have for streamers. Dr Disrespect noted that the company faces plenty of competition from Hulu and Amazon (which owns Twitch), but tossed out some interesting ideas about how Netflix might set itself apart from the crowd. He imagined a new type of streaming platform that was "super interactive, [with] tools for the chat, for the streamer... tons of built-in incentives."
Dr Disrespect's ambitions for partnering with the pioneering streamer come just as Netflix has announced plans to get serious about gaming, although the company has not mentioned any kind of roadmap for integrating streamers and content creators into its service. Here is what Netflix does plan to offer to gamers, as well as what Dr Disrespect has said about making himself a part of it.
Netflix is making moves into gaming and it sounds like Dr Disrespect wants in
The Two-Time Champion explained to viewers that he wants to be extremely hands-on when it comes to the platform's future: "I'd help them put together the most interactive, dominating streaming platform."
However, the plans that the streaming giant has for gaming might be a bit more modest than what Dr Disrespect has in mind. According to Bloomberg, Netflix's current vision for rolling out a gaming platform begins with smaller games integrated into their primary streaming platform, in a similar way to which Apple offers an Arcade gaming option alongside their Apple TV+ service.
That said, Netflix did demonstrate a willingness to experiment with innovative interactive experiences when it premiered "Bandersnatch," a 2018 episode of "Black Mirror" that allowed viewers to make dynamic choices in a branching storyline. A Netflix shareholder meeting regarding the consumer cost of the new service revealed that the company would not charge users for any extra gaming functionality.
Whatever lies in Netflix's future for gaming, Dr Disrespect has not been shy about his interest in being a part of it, even posting a video of himself discussing the possibilities to his YouTube channel titled "DrDisrespect x Netflix."
It should be interesting to see if Netflix does develop plans to include streamers in its potential new gaming package, especially considering the fact that Amazon has opted to keep Twitch and its Amazon Prime streaming services largely separate.