Money Heist mobile game slated for 2023 release
Netflix is set to release a mobile game based on the popular Money Heist series in 2023.
The game, which is entitled La Casa De Papel, is named after the Spanish title of the Netflix original series.
The single-player adventure game is being developed by Colombian indie game studio Killasoft and will be available as part of Netflix subscriptions for use on Android and iOS devices. The game is set in Monaco as an old friend calls on the Professor to mastermind a daring armed robbery to steal money from a casino owned by a billionaire in the principality.
Players will undertake the mission as one of the characters from Money Heist and face mini-challenges such as cracking safes and picking locks. The game will also feature stealth elements such as sneaking past the casino security team and players will have the ability to shoot their way out of trouble.
The fascination with heists in popular entertainment
The wide appeal of the heist genre is demonstrated by its longevity in popular entertainment. The original Ocean’s 11 film, which was released in 1960, was resurrected by the Ocean’s series of films in the early 2000s. More recent examples are the 2022 film The Last Heist starring Terry Stone, Emily Wyatt and Perry Benson and Bank Robbers: The Last Great Heist, the 2022 Netflix documentary which examines a notorious bank robbery that took place in Argentina in 2006. The original Money Heist series has also led to Netflix spinoffs such as the 2022 show Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area.
The themes of the heist genre, which include mystery, tension and daring, make it a popular topic beyond films and video games. This is reflected by the prevalence of game titles portraying heists in the iGaming industry. Through slot games such as The Perfect Heist and Cops & Robbers Big Money, Buzz Casino recreates the suspense of heists through its dark visuals and suspenseful music. With the genre firmly entrenched in the consciousness of gamers through the heist expansions of GTA Online, the iGaming sector is in a position to capitalise on this popularity by featuring further slot titles based on bank robberies in the future.
Netflix banking on mobile games based on TV shows
The La Casa De Papel mobile game represents the latest move of the streaming service to gain traction in the mobile gaming sector as the company looks to compete with its rival Apple Arcade. Through its mobile game offering, Apple Inc. has quietly built an extremely successful gaming experience and Netflix is keen to develop its own game offering.
The portrayal of popular Netflix shows began with games based on the Stranger Things series. The latest iteration, Stranger Things 3 The Game, which was developed by BonusXP, gives players the opportunity to play the game as 12 different characters from Stranger Things 3. With the Naughty Dog video game The Last of Us proving to be a highly successful TV adaptation, there is plenty of scope for further spinoffs.
If La Casa De Papel proves to be as popular as Money Heist, this would pave the way for further spinoff mobile games based on Netflix TV shows. With a series of games already based on Squid Games, an officially licensed game title cannot be far away.
