Netflix has been involved in the gaming market for several years. However, the well-known streaming service now has to cope with a setback. According to media reports, a Netflix game studio has been closed.
Netflix is best known for its series and films, but the streaming service has also been offering its subscribers smartphone video games for several years. In addition to games for productions like “Too Hot to Handle” or “Heist of Money,” there are also big titles like “Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy” or indie gems like “Hades” and “Dead Cells” in the catalog. However, Netflix is now facing a setback in its foray into the gaming sector.
Studio reportedly developed blockbuster games
Netflix's in-house development studio has been closed, reports the “Game File” portal. The streaming service has confirmed that a Southern California game studio known as Team “Blue,” according to the report, has shut down. As head of the studio, Netflix hired Chacko Sonny in 2022, who was previously, among other things, executive producer on the gaming hit “Overwatch”. There were also reportedly other experienced employees from the games industry who worked on series such as “God of War” and “Halo”.
In April 2023, one of the employees suggested that a multi-platform AAA title – a game with a large development budget, comparable to a cinema blockbuster – was being worked on. Before this game, which was not supposed to be based on a well-known franchise, could appear or even be firmly announced, the studio has now been closed.
It is currently unclear whether another Netflix studio should take care of the game mentioned or whether it will be scrapped entirely. The reasons for the departure of Team “Blue” are also unknown. The tech portal “The Verge” at least speculates that the closure could make the streaming service's larger gaming ambitions a thing of the past.
From (spot)
