Last month, Game File reported that Netflix had unceremoniously shuttered one of its internal development studios, "Team Blue". Likely having spent vast sums on securing splashy talents like longtime Halo creative lead Joseph Staten and God of War art director Raffael Grassetti, those hires are now gone. Netflix will instead pivot to the pursuit of generative AI in development.
The LinkedIn post of newly minted VP of GenAI for Games Mike Verdu is currently making waves in a buttoned-up, corporate corner of the industry (thanks, GamesIndustry.biz). It announces that Former Epic Games executive Alain Tascaion will take over Verdu's previous role as president of Netflix Games, freeing the VP up to work on "driving a 'once in a generation' inflexion point for game development and player experiences"—with generative AI at the heart of it."
Verdu warns onlookers to "pay no mind to uninformed speculation in the media about changes at Netflix Games", so feel free to disregard our take. Instead, rest assured that things are headed in the right direction, as Verdu explains: "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?"