Netflix Acquires Ready Player Me to Bring Cross-Game Avatars to Its Gaming Platform

Netflix Gaming Gets Personal: Ready Player Me Acquisition Brings Custom Avatars

Netflix is acquiring Ready Player Me, an Estonia-based avatar-creation platform, to introduce customizable gaming avatars that players can use across multiple titles on the streaming service.

Through this acquisition, Netflix plans to leverage Ready Player Me's development tools and infrastructure to build cross-game avatars, allowing players to carry their unique personalities and express their fandom across different gaming experiences.

There’s no word yet on when subscribers will be able to start creating and using these avatars, and similarly, no details have been shared on the financial terms of the deal. However, TechCrunch reports that Ready Player Me previously raised an impressive $72 million in venture funding.

According to Variety, the acquisition will bring approximately 20 Ready Player Me employees into the Netflix fold, including co-founder and CTO Rainer Selvet. Interestingly enough, the other three co-founders—CEO Timmu Tõke, chief creative officer Kaspar Tiri, and COO Haver Järveoja—won't be making the transition to Netflix.

However, there's a bittersweet element to this acquisition for existing Ready Player Me users. The platform will be shutting down its current services on January 31, 2026, including its online avatar creation tool PlayerZero.

Ready Player Me had established itself as a trusted service among developers, claiming to have worked with over 25,000 creators who used its easy-to-integrate Avatar Creator and developer tools to boost user retention and engagement.

This acquisition fits into Netflix's broader gaming evolution under the leadership of Alain Tascan, who joined as president of games in mid-2025 after his tenure at Epic Games. The company has been shifting its focus toward party games, narrative experiences, kids' games, and mainstream titles, while also expanding its gaming presence on connected TV devices beyond just mobile platforms.

Netflix recently rolled out several new titles, including Netflix Puzzled, PAW Patrol Academy, WWE 2K25, and Red Dead Redemption, along with Best Guess Live featuring hosts Hunter March and Howie Mandel. The streaming giant also announced a new FIFA soccer title set to launch on TVs just in time for the 2026 World Cup.