Summary
Mike Verdu, who served asNetflix’s Vice President of gaming, has left the company. For nearly four years, Verdu worked as an executive, first spearheading the company’s entry into gaming, then looking to drive results for the company’s Artificial Intelligence technology. What’s clear is thatNetflixappears to be figuring out different methods for success in each of these ventures, but it may take some time before gamers fully see how Netflix truly plans to change its strategies.
By 2023,Netflix Storieshad launched, offering players a way to keep interacting with concepts from their favorite TV shows, such asLove is BlindandOuter Banks.Although the company was growing a unique core pillar of its gaming service, it seemed like Netflix was also prioritizing more traditional ventures in the medium. However, recent changes seem to signal that Netflix is fine doing its own thing without competing directly against the console market.
According to aGame File report, Vice President of Netflix Games Mike Verdu has left the company, reflecting a shift in Netflix’s strategies for the gaming market going forward. Verdu was known as the executive who set the course for Netflix’s entry into the video games space. He joined the company in 2021, and oversaw avariety of new releases and ports to Netflix. Through the service, gamers were given access to casual titles likeCut The Rope Dailyas well as award-winning classics likeDead Cells. As the industry shifted, Netflix incorporated new strategies.
Netflix Games VP Leaves Company
Verdu eventually started working as the company’s vice president of Generative AI, and although many industryleaders like Sony also have AI plans, people still don’t know what Netflix is planning to do with that technology. Alain Tascan, an industry veteran who served as an executive at Ubisoft, EA, and Epic, was hired as Netflix’s President of games in 2024, while the company sought to continue growing its service.
Instead of trying to get fans of mobile games to play titles that are mainly available everywhere else, Netflix has focused on “refining” its approach to bolster its catalog of narrative-focused titles related to its existing franchises. Thecancelation of six game releasesthat were originally planned for Netflix, along with the shutdown of its SoCal studio known as Team Blue, seemed to cement this change in strategy. This does not necessarily mean that Netflix won’t be involved in the production of titles for wider audiences, but the company does seem determined to appeal more to its niche.
