[Weekend Game] "We Offer 1.1 Billion Won for Game Developers"... Why Is Netflix So Serious About Gaming?

Netflix Posts Job Opening for Game Researcher
Interest in Gaming to Leverage IP... Anticipates Data Collection Benefits

"Netflix's mission is to deliver joy to people around the world."

Global online video streaming service company Netflix posted a job opening with this statement on the 4th (local time) for a position at the "Studio Media Algorithm Team" located in Los Angeles (LA), California, USA. However, this is not a typical job opening for video content-related positions often seen at Netflix. It is a job posting for a machine learning researcher in the gaming sector.

Global online video streaming service company Netflix posted a job opening on the 4th (local time) for a machine learning researcher in the gaming sector to work at the "Studio Media Algorithm Team" located in Los Angeles (LA), California, USA. Photo of Showbiz Job capture

The core responsibilities required by Netflix include research, development, and optimization of large language models (LLMs) for games and multimodal technology. The researcher will need to collaborate with game technology directors and designers within Netflix to develop AI-based games that can run on a variety of hardware environments, including low-spec devices. The compensation package for this position has also drawn attention. The annual salary range for this role is from at least $466,000 (approximately 700 million won) up to $750,000 (approximately 1.1 billion won).

Netflix has been interested in games for a long time. In November 2021, the company officially launched "Netflix Games" for subscribers worldwide. These are mobile games available only on smartphones and tablets, focusing mainly on simple casual and arcade games such as "Shooting Hoops" and "Card Blast." However, Netflix has continued to scale up by acquiring game companies. Starting with the acquisition of "Night School Studio" in September 2021, Netflix went on to acquire "Next Games" and "Boss Fight Entertainment" in succession. Night School Studio is known as the developer of "Oxenfree," a mystery adventure game based on storytelling.

Netflix opened the "Squid Game: The Experience" zone near Koreatown in Manhattan Mall, New York, in October 2024. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Netflix's continued interest in gaming stems from its belief that it is a suitable tool for expanding intellectual property (IP). While Netflix possesses globally renowned core IPs such as "Squid Game" and "Stranger Things," there are limits to repeated content viewing. Through games, the company can encourage existing fans to consume more content and attract new audiences. In fact, leading up to the release of "Squid Game" Season 2 on December 17, 2024, Netflix also launched the game "Squid Game: Mobile Survival."

Netflix also anticipates benefits such as preventing subscriber churn and increasing user engagement time. The number of paid Netflix subscribers surpassed 200 million in 2020 and reached 301.63 million by 2024. However, the growth has slowed somewhat, with 325 million recorded in the fourth quarter last year. In addition, Netflix can seek new business opportunities by collecting new types of data from game users. Greg Peters, Netflix's Co-CEO, said at the Goldman Sachs conference last September, "If we improve user experience by 10% and make it easier for members to find content they like, it's equivalent to investing 10% more in content," adding, "That creates enormous synergy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.