Xbox Reportedly Walked Away From a $500 Million Netflix Adaptation Deal
Xbox is now said to be pursuing several smaller film and TV deals rather than one large licensing agreement with a single streamer.
Netflix reportedly offered Xbox $500 million for exclusive film and TV rights to its games over seven years, but when Xbox CEO Asha Sharma pushed the price to $800 million, Netflix pulled the offer. The offer had been made under former Netflix content chief Bela Bajaria, and after her departure, CFO Spence Neumann was among those who considered the price too high. Xbox now appears to be pursuing smaller, separate film and TV deals with several production partners instead of one big licensing agreement. The collapse arrives just after Sharma launched XP, a division for adapting Xbox franchises, and Netflix and Xbox are still working together on animated Diablo and Minecraft series. Xbox told Puck it has received record-breaking interest in its intellectual property and called Netflix a valued partner.
Why it matters
The collapse suggests Xbox is betting it can get better terms by spreading its game adaptations across multiple production partners. For fans, the outcome is still unclear: Netflix and Xbox continue to work together on animated Diablo and Minecraft series, while the wider adaptation strategy is being reshaped. Whether a fragmented approach brings more titles to screen or simply more uneven results will depend on the deals Xbox signs next.
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