The amount Netflix has poured into its gaming division has yet to yield tangible fruits. In October, the streaming giant shut down its AAA development studio, Blue. While the move questioned the sustainability of Netflix’s continuous foray into gaming, the company’s new VP, GenAI for Games, Mike Verdu, revealed the company is delving into the era of making video games with AI.
“At long last, I am ready to talk about what I’m doing next: I am working on driving a ‘once in a generation’ inflection point for game development and play experiences using generative AI,” wrote Verdu in a lengthy post on LinkedIn.
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“This transformational technology will accelerate the velocity of development and unlock truly novel game experiences that will surprise, delight, and inspire players. 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.”
Verdu revealed that in the past three years, he had worked with “an amazing leadership team to build Netflix Games from the ground up”. He listed his achievements during this period to include:
- Creating a robust internal game studio
- Establishing a world-class publishing organization
- Collaborating with Netflix cross-functional teams to deliver games to Netflix subscribers on mobile, TV, and PC through the cloud
Verdu said with a sense of pride that during this period the team has published over 100 games and increased subscriber engagement with games by multiples, as well as launched a test of cloud streaming on TV and PC in various countries.
Verdu is excited about using GenAI for games at Netflix
Photo credit: Matilda Wormwood via Pexels
Verdu is handing over Netflix Games to Alain Tascan because he believes his strength lies in starting new things rather than scaling them. Consequently, Verdu is stepping into a new area in Netflix which he called his next challenge.
“I don’t think I’ve been this excited about an opportunity in this industry since the 90s, when we saw a new game launch every few months that redefined what was possible,” he said.
“It was an incredible time to be making games as talented creators showed all of us what the future looked like. Guess what? We’re back to those days of seemingly unlimited potential and the rapid pace of innovation, which resulted in mind-blowing surprises for players every few months.”
To date, the topic of the use of GenAI in games still attracts negative sentiment, especially with the mass layoffs sweeping through the industry. Many blame AI tools for taking the jobs of developers. However, Verdu believes we should embrace GenAI rather than fear them.
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“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?”
“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 :).”
As you would have imagined already, the comment section was filled with disapproving posts, especially from people who believe GenAI models are trained using data culled from artists who never get credit for them.
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