- Mike Verdu is reportedly entering a new role at Netflix involving “innovation in game development”
- Netflix has launched more than 100 games in the (almost) three years Verdu has been with the company
Netflix’s game development ambitions are getting another boost as vice president of games Mike Verdu is reportedly entering a new role involving “innovation in game development”.
This change of role won’t come into play until a new vice president of games is found, according to GamesIndustry.biz, but when Verdu’s current role is filled, he is expected to start a whole new Netflix team to innovate and get creative with game development.
New at Netflix
Verdu has over 30 years of experience in the games industry, from founding his own companies Legend Entertainment and TapZen, to executive roles at Zynga and Kabam. He became senior vice president of EA Mobile in 2017, moved into VR and AR at Meta in 2019, and joined Netflix in 2021.
Verdu’s background across a wealth of video game sectors demonstrates Netflix’s seriousness in its own ambitions to carve out a space in the industry, and those ambitions appear to be accelerating with Verdu ready to take on a new role and build a new team.
Full details of Verdu’s new role are yet to be revealed, but in the (almost) three years since he joined Netflix, the streaming giant has released over 100 games exclusively for subscribers, often leveraging popular IPs as in the case of Rainbow Six SMOL and Sonic Mania Plus.
Of course, the service also launches games based on its shows like Vikings: Valhalla, designed to tide fans over and maintain intrigue between new seasons.
“I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished, and excited to start a new team at Netflix on the cutting edge of game innovation,” Verdu said. “New technologies have always been key to creativity in games development and, as an entrepreneur at heart, this initiative is right in my happy place.”
Netflix gained 13 million new subscribers in the Q4 2023, while quarterly revenue surged year-on-year from $55 million to a staggering $938 million.
