Netflix acquires avatar maker Ready Player Me for gaming expansion
What's the story
In a major shift in its gaming strategy, Netflix has announced the acquisition of Ready Player Me, an Estonia-based avatar-creation platform. The streaming giant plans to use the start-up's development tools and infrastructure to create avatars for its subscribers. This would enable users to carry their personas and fandom across different games. However, the financial details of the deal have not been disclosed yet.
Company history
Ready Player Me's journey and Netflix's acquisition
Ready Player Me had raised $72 million in venture capital from a number of investors, including a16z, Endeavor, Konvoy Ventures, Plural and angel investors such as the co-founders of Roblox, Twitch, and King Games. Following the acquisition by Netflix, Ready Player Me will be shutting down its services on January 31, 2026. This includes its online avatar creation tool PlayerZero.
CEO statement
Ready Player Me's CEO comments on the acquisition
Timmu Toke, the CEO of Ready Player Me, said in a statement that their vision has always been to enable avatars and identities to travel across many games and virtual worlds. He added that they have been on an independent path for a long time but are now excited about joining Netflix. This will help them scale their tech and expertise to a global audience while contributing to Netflix's vision for gaming.
Strategic shift
Netflix's evolving gaming strategy and future plans
Netflix's acquisition of Ready Player Me is part of its evolving approach to gaming. The company started by offering mobile games to subscribers four years ago, seeing it as a new category like original films or unscripted TV. Under Mike Verdu, former VP of Games at EA and Kabam, Netflix acquired several gaming studios and titles but also shut down many studio acquisitions or returned them to their founders.
Expansion efforts
Netflix's gaming expansion under new leadership
Last year, Netflix brought in Alain Tascan from Epic Games as its president of games. Under his leadership, the company has expanded its gaming line-up for TV and started focusing on party games, kids' games, narrative games among others. Recently, it launched a series of party games for TVs and mobiles including Netflix Puzzled and PAW Patrol Academy.