Netflix’s Mike Verdu reveals new role as VP of GenAI for Games

Mike Verdu has lastly revealed his mysterious new function at Netflix: vp of GenAI for Video games.

Particulars of what this place truly includes are sparse, however in a LinkedIn post Verdu stated he’s “engaged on driving a ‘as soon as in a era’ inflection level for sport improvement and participant experiences” – with generative AI on the coronary heart of it.

Information of Verdu’s new function first emerged in June, shortly adopted by affirmation that former Epic Video games exec Alain Tascan can be taking over his previous role as president of Netflix Games.

In his LinkedIn submit, Verdu urged friends to “pay no thoughts to uninformed hypothesis within the media about adjustments at Netflix Video games,” emphasising that Tascan’s recruitment and his personal new place had all be a part of a “deliberate transition.”

By way of what generative AI will do for video games, Verdu stated he believes the know-how allows bigger improvement groups to maneuver quicker and improves the capabilities of smaller groups.

“Many view this know-how with concern, however I’m a game-maker at coronary heart and I see its potential to unlock all of us, to create mind-blowing new experiences for gamers, to elevate us to new heights,” he wrote. “Sure, we’ll must adapt and alter, however when have we failed to fulfill that problem as an trade?”

Netflix has been investing closely in video video games for the previous few years, particularly since first hiring Verdu in 2021.

The leisure streaming agency has acquired a number of studios and opened two inner ones – though the corporate introduced final month that it will be closing the California studio, which had been engaged on AAA video games.

Netflix’s video video games are solely out there on cellular to date, with lifetime downloads of the 100-plus titles passing 210 million in September.