Netflix's first gaming boss has left the company

Mike Verdu has left Netflix, according to Game File with Stephen Totilo. Netflix brought the former Oculus and EA exec onboard to launch and lead its gaming efforts in 2021. Under Verdu's leadership, the company released a bunch of new and ported titles, as well as establishing an internal game development operation. In mid-2024, however, Netflix changed its gaming strategy and hired Alain Tascan, the executive vice president for game development at Epic Games, to lead its gaming efforts. Verdu still served as the VP for games until November 2024, after which he was named as the Vice President of generative AI for games. On LinkedIn, Verdu wrote that his role was about "driving a'once in a generation' inflection point for game development and player experiences using generative AI."