Reusable Avatars Could Be Coming To Netflix Games, Following New Deal

Reusable Avatars Could Be Coming to Netflix Games, Following New Deal

Last updated: 2025/12/20 at 10:10 PM

News Room Published 20 December 2025

Netflix could soon roll out reusable personas and avatars, playable across multiple games in its ecosystem, following a new acquisition.

The streaming giant announced earlier this week that it is acquiring Estonia-based start-up Ready Player Me, and plans to use its technology to allow Netflix subscribers to carry their personalized personas and fandom across different games.

The exact terms of the deal, first reported by News, were not disclosed. But the start-up, founded in 2014, was already well-funded, having raised $72 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Endeavor earlier this year.

The deal will also see around 20 of the start-up’s staff joining Netflix, including its CTO and co-founder, Rainer Selvet. Netflix didn’t disclose when these reusable avatars will launch, or which titles or types of games may be supported. Ready Player Me’s own services, including its online avatar creation tool PlayerZero, will begin shutting down on January 31, 2026.

According to the start-up website, its technology allows players to transport their avatars across different games, even if they have different graphic styles or run on different game engines.

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The buyout comes as Netflix’s gaming strategy remains in flux. While it continues to add new titles to its catalogue—including LEGO, Tetris, and Pictionary earlier this month—the company shut down its internal studio focused on creating high-budget “AAA” games in November 2024. It later announced plans to make more use of generative AI in its game development.

In April, Netflix also scrapped plans to develop new interactive fiction games based on its original shows, after launching narrative games based on shows like Virgin River, Love Is Blind, Emily in Paris, Outer Banks, and Perfect Match. Several high-profile projects remain in the pipeline, however. The company announced it is working with FIFA on a new soccer game slated to launch in summer 2026 earlier this week.