Netflix Acquires Avatar Platform Ready Player Me, Signaling Push into Personalized Gaming Experiences
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Netflix is bolstering its gaming ambitions with the acquisition of Ready Player Me, a leading avatar creation platform. The streaming giant intends to integrate the technology into Netflix Games, paving the way for more personalized user experiences and potentially, a deeper level of engagement within its growing gaming ecosystem.
The financial terms of the deal, announced Thursday, were not disclosed, according to reporting from TechCrunch. Though, approximately 20 employees from the Estonia-based startup are expected to join Netflix.
Notably, the transition won’t include all of Ready Player Me’s founding team. While CTO Rainer Selvet will be moving to Netflix,founders Haver Järveoja,Kaspar Tiri,and Timmu Tõke will not be joining the company. “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. “We’ve been on an self-reliant path to make that vision a reality for a long time. 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.”
ready Player Me to Sunset Services in 2026
Alongside the acquisition announcement, Ready Player Me revealed plans to discontinue its avatar creation services beginning January 31, 2026. Founded in 2014 in Tallinn, Estonia, the platform quickly became a popular choice for users seeking to create and export avatars across a diverse range of platforms, including Web2 and Web3 environments, and notably, virtual reality social spaces like VRChat.
Over the past decade, Ready Player me secured $72 million in funding from prominent venture capital firms including a16z, Endeavor, Konvoy Ventures, Plural, and angel investors connected to companies like Roblox, Twitch, and King Games. The company’s moast recent funding round, a $56 million Series B, closed in 2022.
Implications for VRChat and the Broader Avatar Ecosystem
The acquisition and subsequent shutdown of Ready Player Me’s services are expected to have the most meaningful impact on the VRChat community. For years, the platform has served as a go-to resource for new users looking to quickly and easily create personalized avatars. Ready Player Me’s web-based tool allowed users to upload a photo and generate a customizable avatar, pre-rigged for use within VRChat.
While the platform didn’t always produce the most unique avatars, its accessibility and ease of use were undeniable. Currently, VRChat directs users to only two avatar creation platforms: Ready Player Me and MakeAvatar. The loss of Ready Player Me will likely drive increased demand for alternative solutions, including more complex software like Blender, or marketplaces like VRCMods, Gumroad, and Booth where users can buy, commission, or find free avatars.
It remains unclear whether Netflix intends to expand Ready Player me’s technology beyond its gaming division, or if the acquisition signals a broader interest in extended reality (XR).
