Netflix close game studio after only two years
Netflix has announced that it will shut down its in-house game studio, Team Blue, only two years after it was launched. Introducing a gaming section on the streaming platform was always an ambitious move, and it’s a risk that doesn’t seem to have paid off.
Netflix originally revealed that it would add some games to its library of films and TV shows in 2021. In the beginning, it focused predominantly on mobile games; however, it became more ambitious in 2022 when it founded its own internal studio, Team Blue.
One of Team Blue’s main focuses was to create a “brand-new AAA multiplatform game” based on the original IP. The streaming giant wanted to create a cloud gaming service that would rival industry giants such as Xbox Game Pass.
While this might have seemed a bit ambitious, Netflix collated a great team for the project, and if anyone was going to make the gaming platform work, it would have been them. Overwatch executive producer Chacko Sonny worked as the studio head, while Joseph Staten, the developer of Halo Infinite, and Rafael Grassetti, the God Of War art director, worked alongside him.
Mike Verdu, the vice president of Netflix gaming, was ambitious at the start of development. “You don’t get people like [Sonny] coming to your organisation to build the next big thing in gaming,” he said, “Unless there’s a sense that we’re really in it for the long haul.”
Unfortunately, all three developers have confirmed they will be leaving Team Blue following the announcement that the studio will be shut down before it has even released a game. This comes as a particular shock to a lot of people, as only two months ago, the game studio was hiring people.
Netflix hasn’t provided a reason for the closure. Some steps have been taken to keep the hopes of Netflix’s gaming future alive, as Alain Tascas, former vice president of game development at Fortnite, is now working as the president of gaming at Netflix. Meanwhile, Mike Verdu has been appointed to work on “Transformative innovation in game creation and development.”
It appears that some games are still in the works despite the studio’s closure. Netflix CEO Gregory Peters said that games based on Virgin River Christmas, The Ultimatum, and Squid Game are all still in the works. Peters said that he is “very excited” about their launch.
The future of Netflix gaming still hangs in the balance.