Netflix plans to enter the game market, hired a game development executive

With the global outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, people are more likely to choose homework or video games for leisure time due to the quarantine policy and avoiding the epidemic. In the past two years, the game industry has become more and more popular, and its development momentum has been quite rapid. Since its release last year, both Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series S/X have sold very well, especially PS5. The sales in the same time period have also surpassed the previous generation PlayStation 4, setting a new sales record. Sony and Microsoft have also been acquiring game studios recently, and the competition between the two parties is showing signs of heating up.

“Netflix Icon” by dolphinsdock is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Such a market with broad prospects makes many companies coveted and want to participate in it. According to the Bloomberg report, Netflix was already looking for senior executives at the beginning of this year to lead Netflix into the game field and create subscription services like Apple Arcade or Xbox Game Pass. At present, Netflix has hired Mike Verdu as the vice president of game development, formed a game video department, and reported directly to COO Greg Peters.

Previously, Mike Verdu served as the vice president of VR/AR content at Facebook, responsible for VR games and applications, and the group’s acquisition of other studios, such as Oculus game developer BigBox VR. Earlier, Mike Verdu worked at the gaming industry giant Electronic Arts (EA) as the senior vice president of EA Mobile.

With the strength and influence of Netflix, entering the game field will still have a certain impact on the industry. However, we have also seen that companies with strong financial and technical strengths like Google did not provide a good enough gaming experience after entering the game field.