Former Netflix games Vice President Mike Verdu announced on LinkedIn that he now has a new role on Netflix as Vice President of GenAI for Games.
Alain Tascan will replace Mike Verdu as the new VP of Games at Netflix.
Verdu says this the transformational technology will accelerate the velocity of development and unlock truly novel game experiences that will surprise, delight, and inspire players.
In his announcement, Mike Verdu addressed the ongoing—and likely enduring—debate surrounding the role of AI in creative fields:
“I am focused on a creator-first vision for AI, one that puts creative talent at the center, with AI being a catalyst and an accelerant. AI will enable big game teams to move much faster, and will also put an almost unimaginable collection of new capabilities in the hands of developers in smaller game teams.
I can’t believe how lucky I am to be alive when a wave this big is about to hit the game industry. Many view this technology with fear, but I am a game-maker at heart and I see its potential to unlock all of us, to create mind-blowing new experiences for players, to lift us to new heights.
Yes, we’ll have to adapt and change, but when have we failed to meet that challenge as an industry?”
Mike Verdu, VP, GenAI for Games at Netflix
Though the use of AI in game development remains a highly controversial topic, its ability to streamline certain processes and create new opportunities for developers is undeniable.
“I don’t think I’ve been this excited about an opportunity in this industry since the 90s, when we saw a new game launch every few months that redefined what was possible. It was an incredible time to be making games as talented creators showed all of us what the future looked like.
Guess what?
We’re back to those days of seemingly unlimited potential and the rapid pace of innovation, which resulted in mind-blowing surprises for players every few months.”
Mike Verdu, VP, GenAI for Games at Netflix
Mike Verdu’s Past Achievments
Mike Verdu started his career in Netflix as VP of Game Development, building the foundation for the Netflix Games brand.
5 months later in his role, he became the VP of Games at Netflix, in which he shaped Netflix Games brand from the ground up, including the creation of a robust internal game studio, established publishing deals and collaborated with Netflix cross-functional teams to deliver new games to Netflix members on mobile and to TVs through the cloud.
During his tenure, Netflix delivered over 100 games on the service, increased game engagement by multiples from the first launch of the service, and rolled out a test of cloud streaming to TV and PC in several countries.
