Will game streaming be the next big chapter for Netflix? So far, the streamer has remained silent on the subject, despite recent job postings calling for cloud gaming skills. Netflix told TechCrunch it’s always looking for talent and exploring new product ideas, adding, “We don’t have anything else to share at this point.”
The company launched Netflix Games in 2021 with more than 25 downloadable games available through its mobile app, but less than 1% of Netflix subscribers want to play its mobile games. If the company were to launch a cloud gaming service similar to PlayStation Now, Google Stadia or Amazon Luna, it would allow the company to move beyond mobile devices to TVs and computer monitors — no consoles required — and potentially attract more gamers. .
Game streaming has its challenges – latency, for starters – but has great potential. According to a report by Research and Markets, the global cloud gaming market is expected to reach $20.94 billion by 2030 — up from $1.6 billion in 2021.
Should Netflix, with a subscriber base of around 221 million subscribers, tap that potential, it could help the streaming service recover from a very difficult year.
That’s a lot to unpack and we have so many questions. That’s why we’re thrilled to have Mike Verdu, the vice president of games at Netflix, join the fireside at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on October 18-20.
Netflix enlisted Verdu in 2021 to lead its new gaming division. Since then, the company has acquired three game studios: Boss Fight Entertainment, Night School Studio and Finland’s Next Games (for $72 million alone).
Regardless of the rosy market forecasts, many of the players betting on game streaming have struggled, and it’s not entirely clear whether consumers really want it. We can’t wait to hear Verdu’s take on the company’s mobile gaming strategy. We’ll ask about their plans to branch out into game streaming and talk about the challenges facing the wider game streaming market.
We’re also curious to hear more about how and where Netflix will invest in the industry and how the company wants the Netflix consumer experience to evolve.
Mike Verdu has been focused on bringing great games to Netflix since the company began delivering games as part of subscriptions in November 2021. He works with both in-house studios and third-party developers to create and deliver games in a variety of genres to nearby Netflix members. the world.
Before joining Netflix, Verdu was VP of content for Facebook’s Reality Labs (now Meta), where he was responsible for Oculus Studios, as well as the teams bringing second and third party AR/VR games and apps to Oculus VR. headsets, Oculus Quest and Quest 2.
Prior to Facebook, Verdu was COO and co-president of games for Zynga. Previously, he was SVP at EA Mobile, where he ran most of the company’s game studios, including EA’s Los Angeles studio, where he worked on RTS and FPS games.
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