Today in the Connected Economy: Netflix, Sony Make Big Gaming Moves

Today in the connected economy, Netflix adds game developer Boss Fight Entertainment to its creative team, while Sony prepares to debut its subscription video game service.

Also, delivery service Gopuff signs a multi-year partnership with British grocery chain Morrisons, and Indian ride sharing service Ola acquires the neo-bank Avail Financial.

Netflix Adds Game Developer Boss Fight Entertainment

Four months after debuting mobile games, streaming giant Netflix has added game developer Boss Fight Entertainment to its creative team to help expand its games catalog.

“This studio’s extensive experience building hit games across genres will help accelerate our ability to provide Netflix members with great games wherever they want to play them,” Netflix VP of Game Studios Amir Rahimi wrote in a blog post announcing the move.

Boss Fight Entertainment was founded in 2013 by CEO David Rippy, CCO Bill Jackson and COO Scott Winsett. The company’s team will continue to operate from their studios in Allen and Austin, Texas, and Seattle, Netflix said.

Sony Expected to Unveil PlayStation Subscription

Sony could launch a video game subscription service for its PlayStation system as soon as next week.

Code-named Spartacus, the service is seen as Sony’s answer to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, a Netflix-style suite of video games with more than 25 million subscribers.

Sony’s subscription service is said to include several hits from the past several years, and will meld Sony’s PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus services. Customers will be able to pick from from multiple tiers, including modern games and classic PlayStation selections.

Gopuff teams with UK Grocer Morrisons for Instant Delivery

Instant delivery platform Gopuff has joined forces with British supermarket giant Morrisons to quickly bring thousands of goods, including locally-made food, to consumers across the U.K.

The multi-year partnership lets Gopuff add fresh food, Morrisons-branded items, and other brand name products to its platform for delivery in a half-hour or less.

“Gopuff is an acknowledged leader and innovator in rapid delivery, and this partnership will enable us to deliver a very strong range of Morrisons fresh food and customer favorites to front doors across the U.K. in a matter of minutes,” said Morrisons CEO David Potts.

India’s Ola to Acquire Neo Bank Avail

In an effort to boost its lending services, Indian ride-hailing platform Ola has announced plans to acquire Avail Finance, a neo-bank founded by the brother of Ola’s co-founder.

The deal, which is still subject to approval from shareholders, will help Ola Financial Services, a subsidiary of Ola, offer financial services to India’s underserved blue collar workers. Ola did not release terms of the deal.