Netflix hires Oculus and EA executive for potential game offerings

Netflix has hired a former executive of Electronic Arts and the Oculus arm of Facebook. According to Bloomberg, that is part of a plan by Netflix to do more with games on its own streaming platform.

According to Bloomberg , Mike Verdu’s move to Netflix is ​​part of a plan to offer games next year, with the medium saying it is relying on a source familiar with the plans. The games will appear alongside the current content as a new genre. Netflix does not yet have plans to charge a higher monthly fee for this additional content. According to the source, the company is looking to build the game team in the coming months, which also appears to be supported by job openings on Netflix’s site, such as the Director of Product Innovation, Interactive position .

Netflix probably attracted Verdu because of his experience in the gaming sector. He was previously a vice president at Facebook who worked with developers like BigBox VR to bring games to Oculus’ VR headsets. He was also responsible for EA Mobile for a year, where he worked on mobile games in the game series of the Sims and Star Wars, among others.

The streaming service has been focusing on interactive features and content from and about the game world for some time. In that context, interactive shows like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Carmen Sandiego can be mentioned. For example, Netflix has also licensed a Stranger Things game for mobile devices. There are also a number of game-related documentaries on the platform, in addition to a series such as The Witcher, which may also be partly based on the games.