Netflix is planning to leverage generative AI to help develop its games, with the initiative set to be led by Mike Verdu.
“This transformational technology will accelerate the velocity of development and unlock truly novel game experiences that will surprise, delight and inspire players,” Verdu said in a LinkedIn post announcing his new role as vice president of generative AI games. “I am focused on a creator-first vision for AI, one that puts creative talent at the center, with AI being a catalyst and an accelerant.”
“AI will enable big game teams to move much faster, and will also put an almost unimaginable collection of new capabilities in the hands of developers in smaller game teams,” his Monday post concluded.
A Netflix spokesperson declined to comment.
Verdu joined the streamer as its game development vice president back in 2021. In June, it was revealed that he would take on a new role focused on “transformative innovation in game creation and development.”
“Over the past three years, I worked with an amazing leadership team to build Netflix Games from the ground up, including the creation of a robust internal game studio, establishment of a world-class publishing organization, and collaboration with Netflix cross-functional teams to deliver awesome games to Netflix members on mobile and to TVs (and PCs) through the cloud,” Verdu wrote at the time. “We’ve delivered 100+ games, increased game engagement by multiples and rolled out a test of cloud streaming to TV and PC in several countries. I’m very proud of this!”
“However, after starting and selling three start-ups and building three new divisions in larger organizations, I readily acknowledge that my strength is 0-1, or 0-1,000 in terms of employees,” he continued. “When Netflix Games hit scale, I knew the time had come to hand off to someone who can take this enterprise to the next level.”
In July, Netflix named Epic Games’ Alain Tascan as his replacement.
“Alain Tascan is the right choice to do this. He is already in the process of taking Netflix Games in exciting new directions,” Verdu said. “As for me, I am ready for the next big challenge after the raw primordial act of creation. GenAI is that next challenge.”
Since the gaming division was announced in November 2021, Netflix has acquired four game development studios – Night School, Boss Fight, Next Games and Spry Fox – and is building two from scratch in Southern California and Helsinki.
Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Netflix pulled the plug on developing its own AAA game title as it shifts focus to casual gaming. It also reportedly laid off a small number of employees after closing its Team Blue video game studio.
But Netflix has said that it’s been happy with the gaming division’s growth, noting that user engagement tripled in 2023 and sees it as an opportunity to help retain streaming subscribers.
“I can’t believe how lucky I am to be alive when a wave this big is about to hit the game industry. Many view this technology with fear, but I am a game-maker at heart and I see its potential to unlock all of us, to create mind-blowing new experiences for players, to lift us to new heights. Yes, we’ll have to adapt and change, but when have we failed to meet that challenge as an industry?” Verdu noted. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to lead this new initiative! Pay no mind to the uninformed speculation in the media about the changes in Netflix Games. What you’ve seen over the last several months was actually a planned transition. And yes, I am completely delighted to be back out on the frontier, trying to put a dent in the universe.”
