Netflix signals play plans with video exec hiring

SAN FRANCISCO – Netflix yesterday confirmed that it recruited a video game veteran from Facebook to lead a gaming team at the television star.

Mike Verdu was hired to take charge of video game development at the Silicon Valley company, which has openly called hits such as Fortnite competition for people’s online entertainment time.

Netflix has played with games before, releasing an interactive Bandersnatch episode of original series Black Mirror and a free mobile game spinning off its hit Stranger Things shows.

The company has slowly added video game talent, but Verdu is a high-profile recruitment that could signal ramped up plans.

The 50-year-old has worked at Atari, Electronic Arts and Zynga. Prior to joining Netflix, Verdu was a vice-president at Facebook working on games for the Oculus virtual reality headgear.

Netflix’s plans still appear to be embryonic, however, with the platform not yet having decided whether it will develop its own content or host games created by third parties.

With the global gaming market now exceeding US$300 billion (RM1.2 trillion), according to an April study by consulting firm Accenture, Netflix’s move will open a new and highly lucrative stream of revenue for the tech giant.

“We’ve continually expanded our offering – from series to documentaries, film, local language originals and reality TV,” said a Netflix spokesman.

“Members also enjoy engaging more directly with stories they love – through interactive shows like Bandersnatch and You v Wild, or games based on Stranger Things, La Casa de Papel and To All the Boys.”

Chief executive Reed Hastings has repeatedly emphasised that the company’s main competitors are not just other big-name streamers like HBO, Hulu or Disney+, but include a variety of other online and mobile entertainment platforms.

“We compete so broadly,” Hastings told analysts in October last year, as he presented the company’s quarterly earnings.

“We compete for time against TikTok and YouTube, as well as HBO and Fortnite.”

Netflix last week hired Apple Podcasts head N’Jeri Eaton to lead a podcasting effort at the streaming television service.

It remains to be seen how Netflix will weave games or podcasts into its subscription service. – AFP, July 16, 2021