Netflix has made a decisive move into the gaming sector by appointing the former Facebook VP Mike Verdu its VP of game development.
According to Reuters, Verdu founded his own defence software company at the age of 20. He then sold it and moved into the video games industry in 1990.
In his new role, Verdu will report to Netflix’s COO Greg Peters.
Reuters notes that Netflix is looking at new ways of securing subscribers as it faces growing competition from services such as Disney+, Apple TV+ and HBO Max. It has previously experimented with interactive programming and created games based on shows.
Prior to joining Facebook, Verdu worked at the gaming companies Atari, Electronic Arts, Kabama and Zynga.
