Not long after the announcement that Netflix had shut down its AAA video game studio without releasing a single game, they announced their new gaming initiative, which involves artificial intelligence.
Netflix is designing “truly new gaming experiences” based on generative artificial intelligence. The news comes from a post on LinkedIn by Mike Verdu, founder and former VP of Netflix Games and now the new VP of “GenAI for Games” at Netflix.
He says, “I’m finally ready to talk about what I’m doing next: I’m working to achieve a ‘once in a generation’ turning point for game development and player experiences using generative AI.”
It goes on to say that this “transformative technology” will “accelerate the speed of development and unlock truly new gaming experiences that will surprise, delight and inspire players.”
This new direction they are headed in is also said to work on a “creator-first” system. “Pay no attention to misinformed media speculation about changes at Netflix Games. What you saw over the last few months was actually a planned transition.”
Verdu added: “I am focused on a creator-centric vision of AI. A vision that puts creative talent at the center, with AI serving as a catalyst and accelerator. AI will enable great gaming teams to move much faster and will also bring an almost unimaginable collection of new features into the hands of developers on smaller game teams.”
But they dropped out anyway Surveillance executive producer Chacko Sonny AND God of war Ragnarok artistic director Raffaele Grassetti in favor of this direction of AI. These are incredibly talented individuals, and it’s a little sad that this is the direction they’re going, but that’s the way things are going.
Here is the full statement that was shared:
New role at Netflix: VP, GenAI for Games
“I’m finally ready to talk about what I do next: I’m working to achieve a once-in-a-generation turning point for game development and player experiences using generative AI. This transformative technology will accelerate the speed of development and will unlock truly new gaming experiences that will surprise, delight and inspire players.
“I am focused on a creator-centric vision of AI that puts creative talent at the center, with AI as a catalyst and accelerator. AI will allow large gaming teams to move much faster, and will also put an almost unimaginable collection of new features in the hands of developers on smaller gaming teams.
“Over the past 3 years, I have worked with an extraordinary leadership team to build Netflix Games from the ground up, including building a robust internal game studio, building a world-class publishing organization, and collaborating with cross-functional teams at Netflix to deliver great games to Netflix subscribers on mobile devices and TVs (and PCs) through the cloud.
“We have shipped more than 100 games, increased gaming engagement and launched a cloud streaming test on TVs and PCs in several countries. I’m very proud of this! However, after starting and selling 3 startups and building 3 new divisions in larger organizations, I readily recognize that my strength is 0-1 or 0-1,000 in terms of employees.
“When Netflix Games reached scale, I knew it was time to turn it over to someone who could take this venture to the next level. Alain Tascan is the right choice to do this. It’s already poised to take Netflix gaming in exciting new directions.
“For me, I’m ready for the next big challenge after the raw primal act of creation. GenAI is the next challenge. 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 us all what the future would look like. Guess what? We’re back to those days of seemingly limitless potential and the rapid pace of innovation, resulting in mind-blowing surprises for players every few months.
“I can’t believe how lucky I am to be alive while such a huge wave is about to hit the video game industry. Many view this technology with fear, but I am a game creator at heart and I see its potential to unlock us all, to create mind-blowing new experiences for players, to elevate us to new heights.
“Yes, we will have to adapt and change, but when have we failed to meet this challenge as an industry? I couldn’t be more excited to lead this new initiative! Don’t pay attention to uninformed media speculation about changes in Netflix games.
“What you saw over the last few months was actually a planned transition. And yes, I’m absolutely happy to be back on the frontier, trying to make a dent in the universe :)”
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
