It’s a bit strange to see Netflix, which is looking to expand into the gaming industry, investing in generative artificial intelligence almost immediately after locking the doors of a studio!
Netflix had a AAA studio in Los Angeles run by Chacko Sonny, the former executive producer of Overwatch. It was closed by the company in order to “accelerate the pace of development and enable truly innovative game experiences that surprise, delight and inspire players”. On the one hand this is PR talk, on the other hand it’s a kick in the face to those involved in the cuts…
Mike Verdu, Netflix’s VP of Generative Artificial Intelligence for Games, explained on LinkedIn why the company has turned to AI: “I don’t think I’ve been this excited about an opportunity in this industry since the 90s, when we were seeing a new game come out every few months that redefined what was possible. It was an incredible time to make games because talented creators were showing us all what the future looked like. And guess what? We’re back to those days of seemingly limitless potential and a rapid pace of innovation that resulted in mind-blowing surprises for gamers every few months.
Pay no attention to the uninformed speculation in the media about changes to Netflix Games. What you’ve seen over the past few months has actually been a planned transition. I am focused on a creator-first vision for AI, one that puts creative talent at the center, with artificial intelligence as a catalyst and accelerator. AI will enable large game teams to move much faster, and it will also put an almost unimaginable collection of new capabilities in the hands of developers on smaller game teams,” Verdu wrote.
Today, you can still tell when generative artificial intelligence is being used for artwork. If you look at an image, you can tell it’s an AI piece, not a human piece. You can tell either by the strange hands or by the identical face. But either way, 35 people have lost their jobs.
How will Netflix use the technology?
Leave a Reply