Mike Verdu, the executive who led Netflix’s push into video games, has left the company as of March 11. This departure comes after Verdu’s role at the streaming giant had already been reduced in recent months.
Verdu joined Netflix in 2021 with the specific mission of building the company’s gaming division from scratch. During his nearly four-year tenure, he oversaw the release of dozens of mobile games for Netflix subscribers and helped establish the company’s internal game development capabilities through several studio acquisitions.
However, Verdu’s involvement in the company’s gaming efforts had been declining before his exit. Last July, Netflix brought in industry veteran Alain Tascan, who previously held positions at Epic Games, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft, to take over leadership of the gaming division.
Rather than leaving immediately when his successor arrived, Verdu initially shifted to a new position as Vice President of Generative AI for games at Netflix in November 2024. However, this role appears to have been short-lived. According to Game File’s Stephen Totilo, he has now departed the company entirely.
The leadership change reflects broader shifts in Netflix’s gaming strategy. Since Tascan took control of the division, the company has made several major changes to its approach. Netflix shut down Team Blue, the studio that was developing the company’s first AAA game, and canceled 6 previously announced game releases, including the anticipated “Tales of the Shire.”
Another key figure in Netflix’s gaming operation, Leanne Loombe, who managed relationships with external game developers, left the company in January 2025 to join Annapurna Interactive.
Despite these changes, Netflix executives continue to express public support for gaming during their quarterly investor calls. The company has recently emphasized plans to focus on couch co-op party games and titles that connect to popular Netflix shows. In December, Netflix released a Squid Game video game that was available to all mobile users, not just Netflix subscribers.
Industry observers have offered mixed interpretations of these developments. Some see Verdu’s departure as a sign of trouble for Netflix’s gaming ambitions, while others view it as a natural transition in leadership as the company refines its strategy.
Data suggests that Netflix’s gaming efforts have struggled to gain significant traction with subscribers. Netflix reported in its Q4 2024 earnings (January 2025) that gaming boosts retention, though less than 1% of its 302 million subscribers played games daily in 2023—a trend likely unchanged in 2024 without a major shift.
Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters acknowledged this limited impact while still expressing optimism about their potential. “Our investment in games is relatively small compared to our overall content budget, but we see great potential,” Peters stated.
Peters emphasized creating what he called a “virtuous cycle” between Netflix shows and games, with interactive and non-interactive content reinforcing each other to deepen audience engagement.
