Mike Verdu’s new role at Netflix is VP of ‘genAI for games’.
Verdu moved aside as boss of Netflix Games back in June, and was replaced in July by former Epic Games exec Alain Tascan. At the time, Netflix said Verdu was setting up a new games team at Netflix, one focused on “new technologies” and “innovation”.
It turns out that team is focused on genAI. Verdu explained on LinkedIn: “I am working on driving a “once in a generation” inflection point for game development and player experiences using generative AI. This transformational technology will accelerate the velocity of development and unlock truly novel game experiences that will surprise, delight, and inspire players.”
He continued: “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.”
He also referenced the Netflix Games team he had built in the last three years as the streaming giant pushed hard into mobile games and even triple-A game development, though the latter didn’t work out.
“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!” he continued.
“However, after starting and selling 3 start-ups and building 3 new divisions in larger organizations, I readily acknowledge that my strength is 0-1, or 0-1,000 in terms of employees. 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. Alain Tascan is the right choice to do this. He is already in the process of taking Netflix Games in exciting new directions.”
Verdu also acknowledged some of the concerns in the games business around genAI and its impact on workers. “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,” he said. “Yes, we’ll have to adapt and change, but when have we failed to meet that challenge as an industry?”
He also took a swipe at some of the reporting of his moves within Netflix. “Pay no mind to the uninformed speculation in the media about the changes in Netflix Games,” he added. “What you’ve seen over the last several months was actually a planned transition.”
Our latest update on Netflix Games downloads back in September showed total lifetime game downloads at over 210m, according to Appmagic data. GTA: San Andreas by far the most-downloaded title with 25m installs to date, followed by Storyteller (15m), Spongebob: Get Cooking (10.7m), Bloons TD 6 (10m) and Too Hot to Handle (9m).
