Bulletins

Netflix is getting into gaming, and a Facebook exec will run it

Mike Verdu will spearhead a dedicated gaming division within Netflix.

A building with a big Netflix sign over the door

Netflix is reportedly expanding into gaming next year.

Photo: Netflix

Netflix has hired Mike Verdu, a longtime video game executive who most recently worked as VP of content at Facebook's VR unit, as its new vice president of game development, Bloomberg was first to report Wednesday afternoon. Verdu will help Netflix expand into video games, according to the report, an initiative that is said to begin in earnest next year.

A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the hire when contacted by Protocol. Before joining Facebook, Verdu worked in senior leadership positions for Electronic Arts, Kabam and Zynga, among others.

Netflix has dabbled in the past in gaming and interactive video; the company launched a number of interactive choose-your-own-adventure movies and specials to its subscribers in recent years, and is scheduled to unveil additional such titles in the coming months.

In addition to that, Netflix also partnered with game studios to produce games based on the company's original IP. However, those titles weren't made available to Netflix subscribers, and instead were distributed through existing channels.

Janko Roettgers

Janko Roettgers (Twitter, Mastodon) used to be a senior reporter at Protocol, reporting on the shifting power dynamics between tech, media, and entertainment, including the impact of new technologies. Previously, Janko was Variety's first-ever technology writer in San Francisco, where he covered big tech and emerging technologies. He has reported for Gigaom, Frankfurter Rundschau, Berliner Zeitung, and ORF, among others. He has written three books on consumer cord-cutting and online music and co-edited an anthology on internet subcultures. He lives with his family in Oakland.

gamingvideo gamesnetflix
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