Epic Games former EVP of game development, Alain Tascan, has been named president of Netflix Games.Prior to joining Epic, Tascan served as CEO of Umi Mobile, vice chairman at Funcom, VP and general manager at EA Montreal, and VP of production at Ubisoft.Variety broke the news and explained Tascan will report directly to Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters."Alain brings over 30 years of experience in global video game development, production, licensing and building studios," said Peters, discussing the appointment. "He has a passion for making great games and a proven track record of taking bold creative bets. We’re thrilled to have him leading Netflix Games."Tascan said he intends to build on the "remarkable foundation" the Netflix Games team has laid, and claimed the streaming company is "uniquely positioned to redefine the future of gaming."His appointment comes weeks after Netflix confirmed its VP of Games, Mike Verdu, would be taking on a new, unspecified role within the company focused on "innovation in game development."
Netflix Games on the rise
Netflix is getting serious about making games. The company has acquired a number of studios in recent years, including Spry Fox, Next Games, and Night School Studio.It launched Netflix Games in 2021 with a lightweight roster that comprised just five titles. It has since brought over 100 games to the platform and has more than 80 projects currently in development.During a recent earnings call (thanks Polygon), Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters explained the company now has a better idea of how to approach and refine its video game business. "We've launched over 100 games so far. We've seen what works, what doesn't work. We're refining our program to do more of what is working with the 80-plus games that we currently have in development," he said.