In a significant move to deepen its presence in the gaming world, Netflix has announced its acquisition of Ready Player Me, an Estonia-based avatar-creation platform. The acquisition signals a strategic pivot for the streaming giant, which plans to leverage the startup’s technology to build a universal avatar system, allowing subscribers to maintain a consistent digital identity across its diverse gaming titles.
A Strategic Shift In Gaming
This acquisition marks a pivotal moment in Netflix’s evolving gaming strategy. After an initial foray into mobile games four years ago yielded mixed results, the company is now refocusing its efforts on more integrated experiences, particularly for TV. Under the leadership of new gaming president Alain Tascan, formerly of Epic Games, Netflix is expanding into party games, narrative titles, and other mainstream genres that align more closely with its core ‘lean-back’ entertainment model.
The integration of customizable, cross-game avatars from Ready Player Me is a clear step towards building a more cohesive and interactive gaming ecosystem, blurring the lines between passive viewing and active participation.
The Details Of The Deal
While the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Ready Player Me was a significant player in the creator economy, having raised $72 million from prominent investors including a16z, Endeavor, and Konvoy Ventures. As part of the acquisition, the startup’s team of approximately 20 people and its CTO, Rainer Selvet, will join Netflix to spearhead the avatar initiative.
Following the transition, Ready Player Me will be winding down its existing services, including its popular online avatar creation tool, PlayerZero, by January 31, 2026.
“Our vision has always been to enable avatars and identities to travel across many games and virtual worlds,” said Ready Player Me CEO Timmu Tõke in a statement. “I’m now very excited for the Ready Player Me team to join Netflix to scale our tech and expertise to a global audience and contribute to the exciting vision Netflix has for gaming.”
Relevance For The MENA Tech Scene
For founders and investors in MENA, Netflix’s acquisition of an avatar platform holds significant implications. The MENA region boasts one of the world’s fastest-growing gaming markets, driven by a young, digitally-native population with high engagement rates. This move by a global entertainment leader validates the increasing importance of digital identity and the metaverse—a sector where regional hubs like Dubai and Riyadh are actively investing and fostering innovation.
The deal underscores the massive market potential for technologies that enable persistent, cross-platform digital personas. This could inspire regional startups to double down on creating localized metaverse solutions or B2B tools for major players looking to enter the MENA market. Furthermore, as Netflix builds out its gaming infrastructure, it could create new partnership opportunities for MENA-based game development studios looking to integrate with a global distribution platform.
About Ready Player Me
Founded in Estonia, Ready Player Me is a cross-game avatar platform for the metaverse. It provides users with a single, customizable 3D avatar that they can use across thousands of supported games and virtual worlds, aiming to create a more connected and interoperable digital experience.
Source: TechCrunch
