As reported by Stephen Totillo in Game File yesterday evening, Netflix has shuttered one of its handful of internal studios—this one being the triple-A “Team Blue” that had, in its two years of operation, hired experienced talent from across the western gaming sphere. This included names such as former 343i creative lead Joseph Staten (a familiar name among ‘Halo’ fans) and former Overwatch executive Chacko Sonny as studio head. Netflix had plans to helm a brand-new AAA multiplatform and original IP, according to Staten, but nearly two years later the South Californian team has been disbanded with nothing to show for it.
Netflix is a newcomer to the games industry. Back in late 2021, the company began to publish games based on their film and television properties among other titles, allowing Netflix subscribers to have unfettered access to these games via Android and iOS devices. Said catalogue has since expanded, with titles such as Rockstar Games’ ‘Grand Theft Auto’ games and the like. The company had also begun buying up and forming its own game studios as well, with developers such as Boss Fight Entertainment and ‘Oxenfree’ developer Night School Studio joining the entertainment giant over the last three years.
With the closure of Team Blue, it’s likely Netflix will remain a publisher of smaller game releases and ports for its streaming subscription service. But seeing as the company’s only AAA studio has had its doors closed before it could even ship a game (much less show it to the world) it’s very likely that Netflix’s high production game ambitions are no longer in the cards.
