Netflix hired a manager to help develop video games. The streaming service should be able to offer playable games before the end of the year.
In addition to series, documentaries and films, Netflix will also offer video games. The streaming service has announced the arrival of Mike Verdu as head of game development on the platform. He previously worked at games company Electronic Arts (EA) and was responsible for video games at Facebook.
The first video games should be playable on Netflix before the end of next year, reports Bloomberg news agency from the mouth of an insider. But, the company does not plan to increase the price for a subscription, the source said.
For Netflix, it is essential to tap into new markets. The company is still the market leader in streaming series and movies but is increasingly facing Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and HBO. The number of Netflix subscribers is still growing, but that increase is in danger of dwindling. In the market for streamed games, Netflix once again encounters Amazon and Google Stadia, for example.
Netflix has found a veteran of the game’s world in Verdu. At EA, he worked on The Sims and games based on the Star Wars film series. While employed by Facebook, he worked with developers to create video games for Oculus headsets based on virtual reality.