Netflix has appointed executive Mike Verdu in the new role of “VP of GenAI for Games” just a few weeks after it shuttered one of its internal AAA studios. Per Verdu, he will use his position to leverage new generative AI-powered creativity in game development, as part of a “once in a generation inflection point” for game creation and player experiences.
“This transformational technology will accelerate the velocity of development and unlock truly novel game experiences that will surprise, delight, and inspire players,” Verdu said on LinkedIn. “AI will enable big game teams to move much faster, and will also put an almost unimaginable collection of new capabilities in the hands of developers in smaller game teams.”
Verdu’s post attempted to reassure those concerned that humans will still be at the forefront of this technology, with AI being a “catalyst” and an “accelerant” for more efficient progress. But given Netflix recently laid off a number of developers, reportedly including high profile names like Chacko Sonny (Activision Blizzard), Josep Staten (Bungie / 343 Industries), and Rafael Grassetti (Sony Santa Monica), fresh action on GenAI integration has caused major concern, regardless.
Netflix announced big plans for its gaming division in 2022, and later initiated a range of game studio acquisitions – with Spry Fox, Boss Fight Entertainment, and Next Games joining Night School Studio on the Netflix roster. That same year, it also announced the establishment of the aforementioned in-house studio, which is now defunct.
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So far, the success of these acquisitions is relatively unclear. In late 2022, it was reported that just 1% of all Netflix subscribers were playing the games on offer.
Netflix is seemingly looking to introduce generative AI to speed up the cadence of game releases, and boost potential audience engagement. That may mean relying on Gen AI for dialogue and image generation, as well as coding and other game design elements.
“We’re back to those days of seemingly unlimited potential and the rapid pace of innovation, which resulted in mind-blowing surprises for players every few months,” Verdu said.
As Verdu states, this implementation still relies on humans wielding these tools well. For now, that remains a focus of Netflix’s efforts, as Verdu has described a “creator-first vision for AI.”
What remains unanswered is how the GenAI in use will be trained. As many critics of GenAI have pointed out, commonly-used AI models pinch their content from the web, stealing years of creator-owned works (both written and artistic) to create new iterations of this work. It’s essentially copyright infringement at a mass scale, with companies in charge of these models arguing that if it’s on the internet, it’s free to use (but of course, piracy is still illegal for individuals, and whatnot).
The timing of Verdu’s appointment is fairly concerning, as it arrives just a few weeks after Netflix shut down its big internal studio. Regardless of intent, the optics of introducing GenAI tools weeks after laying off human workers aren’t great, to say the least.
In this time, as Netflix announces major changes to its game development processes, our thoughts are with those laid off staff members.
