Category: Michael Verdu

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Facebook Head of AR/VR Content Mike Verdu to Lead Netflix’s Push into Gaming

A report from The Information back in May maintained that video streaming giant Netflix was getting ready to push beyond TV and film, and was actively approaching candidates to oversee its expansion into gaming. As first reported by Bloomberg, that position is falling to Mike Verdu, former head of AR/VR content at Facebook Reality Labs and one-time chief of mobile games at EA.

Verdu is said to take on the role of VP of game development at Netflix, reporting to company COO Greg Peters.

Citing someone familiar with the situation, Bloomberg reports that Netflix will offer games on its streaming platform within the next year. Games are said to be included in the service’s monthly price, and will supposedly be hosted alongside streaming video content.

Verdu joined Facebook in 2019 during a reorganization of Oculus, which saw multiple executives shuffled throughout the company. Verdu replaced Jason Rubin, who at the time went on to head special gaming initiatives for Facebook.

During his time as Facebook’s head of AR/VR content, Verdu oversaw multiple studio acquisitions, including Beat Games (Beat Saber), Sanzaru Games (Asgard’s Wrath and others), Ready at Dawn (Lone Echo and Echo Arena), Downpour Interactive (Onward), and BigBox VR (Population: One). Those acquisitions spanned a year and a half, marking a significant push by Facebook to consolidate talent behind some of the medium’s most successful gaming properties.

Under Verdu, Facebook’s VR gaming celebrated a milestone of 60+ Oculus Quest apps exceeding $1 million in revenue, which was no doubt spurred by the 2020 release of the company’s second-gen standalone headset, Oculus Quest 2.

The post Facebook Head of AR/VR Content Mike Verdu to Lead Netflix’s Push into Gaming appeared first on Road to VR.

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Facebook’s Rubin, Verdu To Speak On Quest Store At GDC Showcase

Two of Facebook’s gaming figureheads will be talking at next week’s digital GDC Showcase.

Michael Verdu, VP of Facebook Reality Labs Content and Jason Rubin, the former VR content head that’s now the company’s VP of Play, will both be on the panel for ‘Future of Gaming: Quality and Connection’ on Wednesday, March 17th. They’ll also be joined by Denny Unger, the CEO of Pistol Whip developer, Cloudhead Games and Michael Carter of PlayCo.

This session will take a look not just as Facebook’s own gaming initiatives but also specifically at the work the company has done with the Oculus Quest store. The pair will “share the evolution” of the platform and take a look at how it “supports developers in creating high quality games.” Unger, meanwhile, will use Pistol Whip as a case study for their points.

We wouldn’t expect any major announcements during the talk, though Facebook is also presenting other talks at GDC, including a look at social VR and its use in battle royale hit, Population: One. The BigBox VR-developed title has already generated over $10 million in revenue on Oculus platforms and is currently running its first season. Beyond Facebook, Skydance Media will also be joining in with a post-mortem on its ever-popular zombie slayer, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.

The GDC Showcase is free-to-attend and takes place over what would have been the traditional spot in the year for the physical event in San Francisco. The return of the full event is planned for July though, again, it’ll be all-digital.

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Oculus Leadership Shakeup as Facebook Appoints new Executives

As Facebook prepares for the release of its next wave of virtual reality (VR) headsets later this month, the company has begun reshuffling the core team at Oculus, with both Hugo Barra and Jason Rubin moving into new roles.

Previously at Xiaomi, Barra became head of Oculus after taking over from Brendan Iribe in 2017 and will now be transitioning into the role of VP for AR/VR Partnerships. Taking his place will be Eric Tseng who previously held the role of Director of AR/VR product management at Facebook.

When it comes to Jason Rubin – one of the longest-serving executives at Oculus – who was previously VP of Content and has seen a career co-founding Naughty Dog as well as the creation of Crash Bandicoot and Jax and Daxter, Rubin will now be VP Special Gaming Initiatives. His replacement will be Michael Verdu, previously senior VP at Electronic Arts, Chief Creative Officer at Zynga and co-founder of Legend Entertainment.

This continues Oculus’ assimilation into Facebook more as a brand than a separate company since the purchase in 2014. There have been numerous executive changes, the closure of Oculus Story Studios and the rebranding of Oculus Research into Facebook Reality Labs. The changes also demonstrate Facebook’s growing interest in augmented reality (AR), such as Barra’s new job title and some of the recent vacancies the company has published.

During the recent F8 2019 conference Facebook Reality Labs showcased its vision for a VR future with full body avatars, as well as the little matter of launching pre-orders for Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S which arrive worldwide on 21st May. 50+ titles have been revealed for the standalone headset, plus the device has been integrated into Oculus for Business.

How these changes will effect Oculus in the long term and what strategies Tseng and Verdu put into place remain to be seen, although, in a statement to Variety about Tseng, a Facebook spokesperson said: “Nothing changes with the Oculus brand or our product portfolio with these changes.”

As more information becomes available regarding Barra and Rubin’s new roles VRFocus will continue to keep you updated on future developments.