Explained: Is Netflix hinting at expansion into video gaming industry with new executive hire?

Netflix on Wednesday said it has hired a former Facebook executive, Mike Verdu, to lead its video games unit as the company ramps up its efforts to grow beyond its traditional streaming business. Mike Verdu is hired as the VP of game development at Facebook, and he will report to Chief Operating Officer Greg Peters. Who is Mike Verdu?

• Verdu was the VP of content for Facebook Reality Labs where he oversaw Oculus Studios and the teams bringing second and third-party virtual reality games and other apps to Oculus VR headsets, such as Oculus Quest and Quest 2, reports Variety.
• Verdu was also served as a senior vice president at Electronic Arts (EA), where he focused primarily on mobile games.
• Verdu had also founded his own defense software company at age 20 and sold it before shifting his team into video games in 1990.

Netflix’s previous experimentation with interactive gaming According to an executive representing Netflix, the streaming giant took tentative steps into the gaming market with games and movies which garnered them a good response. He said , “Members also enjoy engaging more directly with stories they love through interactive shows like Bandersnatch and You vs Wild, or games based on Stranger Things, La Casa de Papel [Money Heist] and To All the Boys. So we’re excited to do more with interactive entertainment”. Peters had also mentioned Netflix’s attempt to enrich their viewers experience while streaming. He said, “We’re trying to figure out what are all these different ways … we can deepen that fandom, and certainly games are a really interesting component of that. There’s no doubt that games are going to be an important form of entertainment and an important modality to deepen that fan experience.” When will the rollout begin? According to Bloomberg, which first reported Verdu’s hiring, video games should hit the platform within the next year as a new programming genre, akin to their rollout of documentaries and stand-up specials. Netflix doesn’t plan to charge extra for the new addition.