Netflix announced today that its VP of Games, Mike Verdu, is soon leaving his current role at the company for another one. He has not directly stated what his new role will be, except that he’s leading a team working on “the cutting edge of game innovation.” According to Netflix, Verdu will stay in his current role until they find a replacement.
Verdu told GamesIndustry.biz in a statement, “I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished, and excited to start a new team at Netflix on the cutting edge of game innovation. New technologies have always been key to creativity in games development and, as an entrepreneur at heart, this initiative is right in my happy place.”
Netflix hired Verdu — who previously worked at Electronic Arts, Oculus, Zynga and Kabam — in September 2021. Given his history, it was an early signal of Netflix’s intentions to enter the gaming space. In the years since, Netflix has accrued a library of almost 100 games for its subscribers to access, and acquired four development studios — Night School Studio, Boss Fight Entertainment, Next Games and Spry Fox Studio — while building two of its own.