Netflix acquires Ready Player Me to bring cross‑game avatars to its games

Netflix has acquired Estonian avatar startup Ready Player Me, a company that builds cross‑game avatar technology designed to let players carry the same digital persona between different titles. The deal will fold Ready Player Me’s roughly 20 employees into Netflix’s games team; one founder, CEO Timmu Tõke, will stay on after the acquisition.

Ready Player Me’s selling point is developer‑friendly avatar tooling and AI that can automatically adapt avatars to different games’ art styles and rigs. That makes it easier for studios to support a shared avatar system without heavy manual work.

Why Netflix bought Ready Player Me

• Netflix is focusing on approachable multiplayer and IP‑based games rather than high‑budget AAA projects — avatar tech fits social and party experiences.
• Shared avatars can deepen user investment across multiple titles and simplify onboarding for creators using Netflix IPs.
• AI‑driven style adaptation reduces developer friction when supporting avatars across a variety of art directions.

What’s next

Neither Netflix nor Ready Player Me have said when avatar features will appear in Netflix’s games or which titles will support them. The studio has lately prioritized streamable party games and licensed projects (including a FIFA partnership), all of which could benefit from persistent, cross‑title avatars.

For developers and players, the acquisition signals Netflix’s continued interest in making its game slate more social and broadly accessible. It also highlights how avatar ecosystems — especially those powered by AI — are becoming a strategic asset for platform and content companies.

Read more about Ready Player Me and the company’s technology on its official site: readyplayer.me. For additional context on Netflix’s recent gaming strategy, see recent coverage of its shift toward party and licensed titles.

Discussion: Would you like a single avatar that travels with you across multiple Netflix games — or do you prefer unique characters for each title?