Netflix VP of Gaming Mike Verdu says the company is “seriously exploring a cloud gaming offering” and plans to open a new gaming studio in Southern California (Amanda Silberling/TechCrunch)

Cheri Faulkner / NME:
Netflix announces its first in-house game studio, its second game studio in Helsinki, to be led by ex-Zynga Vice President and General Manager Marko Lastikka  —  The studio will be responsible for delivering “a variety of delightful and deeply engaging original games”

Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft announces the 28-inch Surface Studio 2+ with Intel’s 11th Gen i7, Nvidia’s RTX 3060, Dolby Vision, and 1TB, available for $4,299 or $4,499  —  It’s been a long time since Microsoft updated its Surface Studio line of all-in-one PCs.  While rumors had suggested a Surface Studio 3 was on the way …

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Mark Cuban’s interactive streaming app Fireside acquires streaming platform Stremium and plans to launch on smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and other devices  —  Mark Cuban-backed streaming app Fireside, which today offers podcasters and other creators a way to host interactive …

Bloomberg:
A book excerpt details Netflix’s shift from DVDs and tensions with HBO, which took a hard line on streaming rights, leading Netflix to make its own content  —  Jeffrey Bewkes scanned his mind, searching for the perfect war metaphor.  —  It was December 2010.

Matt Day / Bloomberg:
The Amazon Labor Union withdraws its petition for an election at a southern California warehouse, after losing an election at a New York warehouse last week  —  Amazon.com Inc. workers seeking to join a union at a company warehouse in Southern California have backed away from their attempt …

Alex Cranz / The Verge:
Netflix, HBO Max, and other streaming services scale back on experimental content that caters to smaller audiences, amid rising costs and increased competition  —  For a few years, there was a boon of content, and we were all wonderfully spoiled.  And now that’s over.  —  It’s over.