Netflix is planning to expand into video games following the recent hiring of a former Electronic Arts veteran.
Netflix confirmed that it had recently hired Mike Verdu to oversee the streaming service's first major departure from TV and film production. Verdu has a tenured history in the video game industry, previously serving as Facebook's vice president of virtual and augmented reality content. Verdu is also notable for his work as senior vice president of EA Mobile, and as chief creative officer at both Kabam and Zynga.
Verdu joins Netflix as the vice president of games development and will focus on expanding the platform's video game offerings. Bloomberg, citing a source close to the situation, states that Netflix is looking to offer video games through its streaming service within the year. These games will be given their own category and Netflix has no plans to charge extra for the content.
Netflix has previously experimented with interactive entertainment in the past, featuring shows like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and an adaption of Telltale Games' Minecraft: Story Mode. Viewers were able to participate in the narrative of both shows by selecting prompts displayed on the screen.
Beyond that, Netflix has a history of turning many of its more popular franchises into video games through the assistance of third-party developers. Stranger Things, Narcos and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance have all been adapted into standalone video games. Current rumors suggest that a Bridgerton video game may be in development. This follows confirmation that Netflix and Shonda Rhimes, owner of the Shondaland production company, are collaborating to create more "feature films, gaming and virtual reality content."
It's not currently known how Netflix intends to make its catalog of potential games available to subscribers. The most likely method would be through a cloud gaming solution, similar to Google Stadia, even though that particular service has its own problems to solve...
Source: Bloomberg