According to a new report, Netflix is moving beyond TV shows and movies to work on an expansion into video games. Want proof? Got it. Although rumours about Netflix's gaming expansion have been circulating for a little while now, the Los Gatos giant has just hired former Electronic Arts and Facebook executive, Mike Verdu, to lead the effort, and has even put the call out for more "game-like" interactive development positions on its website.
The TV, film and Originals streaming behemoth said on Wednesday that Mike Verdu will join Netflix as vice president of game development. Previously, Verdu was Facebook’s vice president in charge of working with developers to bring games and other content to Oculus virtual-reality headsets. He also had a hand in popular mobile games at Electronic Arts, including The Sims, Plants vs. Zombies and Star Wars franchises.
As reported by Bloomberg (and citing "a person familiar with the situation"), the plan is to offer video games on Netflix’s streaming platform within the year. Said games will simply appear alongside Netflix's current fare. Furthermore, Bloomberg's source – who asked not to be named due to the private nature of the ongoing deliberations – claims that the company doesn’t currently plan on charging extra for its gaming content.
The streaming market is pretty saturated on both the video (Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Now etc) and gaming (Xbox Game Pass, Apple Arcade and the like), and it looks as though Netflix is seeking out a new USP by being the first service to combine both – and possibly a justification for hiking its fees in future.
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