Former Fox Engine executive joins Netflix's football game development team

Julien Merceron, formerly Konami's CTO and head of the Fox Engine, has joined the development of Netflix's upcoming FIFA-licensed football simulator. This graphics engine was used to create Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and the Pro Evolution Soccer football simulators. Merceron has extensive experience working at leading gaming companies, including Bandai Namco, Square Enix, Ubisoft, and IO Interactive, making him a valuable asset to the project.

Merceron is currently the CTO at Delphi Interactive, which is working with Refactor Games to develop a new FIFA-branded football franchise following the end of its partnership with EA Sports. According to the developer, both teams are focused on the principles of compact, yet highly professional development teams and aim to return to the gaming experience typical of classic football simulators.

The title's executive producer, Théodore Tang-Péronard, emphasized that Merceron's approach prioritizes gameplay enjoyment over dry simulation, which should make the game accessible to a wide audience while maintaining sufficient depth for experienced players. The project is scheduled for release in the summer of 2026, to coincide with the FIFA World Cup. The game will be cloud-streamed to TVs using smartphones as controllers, and will be available to all Netflix subscribers.