Netflix Gaming Thrown Into Chaos as New Report Indicates It’s Over
The closure of its Southern California studio signals the beginning of the end for Netflix gaming.
- Netflix gaming's SoCal studio has been shut down in the wake of a poor showing from the company in its attempt to enter AAA gaming.
- Despite hiring some of the best minds in the industry, the company has not been able to cover enough ground to justify its presence in the gaming space.
- The closure of one of its biggest studios indicates a change in plans for the streaming giant, making its future in modern gaming uncertain to say the least.
Netflix’s foray into AAA gaming seems to have come to an abrupt end. The streaming giant’s Southern California studio has been shut down despite the addition of some of gaming’s brightest minds to its ranks since its inception in 2022.
While Netflix’s attempt at entering the highly competitive gaming space could be lauded for its ambition, it seems that the company has been unable to tap into the potential of its top hires and come up with experiences that match the quality of its live-action projects – a failed attempt at recreating The Witcher notwithstanding.
An Ambitious Attempt Ends Almost as Soon as It Began
While Netflix’s gaming ambitions will continue on through several other studios that the company has set up over the years, the closure of its SoCal studio signals the end of its hopes to gain ground in a sector of the entertainment industry that is uncompromising in its focus on quality experiences.
It is a rather surprising turn of events for a studio that hired a lot of the gaming industry’s best talent to drive its bold attempt at reaching an entirely new set of audiences. The list includes Blizzard Entertainment’s Chacko Sonny, the executive producer of Overwatch, Joseph Staten of Bungie and 343 Industries fame, and art director Rafael Grassetti from Sony’s Santa Monica, who is best known for his work on the God of War franchise.
A Rough Start for Netflix Gaming
Netflix looking to break into AAA gaming may not be too much of a surprise considering how its competition has been aiming for a similar breakthrough in recent years. With Amazon working with Microsoft to expand its Xbox Game Pass subscription service while simultaneously enjoying the attention from some of its live-action adaptations of popular games, Netflix may have seen potential in its foray into gaming.
However, the post below indicates that its interest may have waned, with the poor response to its Gamescom 2024 appearance being a potential factor in its decision.
Responses to the post indicate that Netflix’s exit from gaming has not come as a surprise to many, with one player pointing out that it was not alone in its attempt to break into the gaming space.
Another player pointed to the studio’s tendency to cancel unpopular shows, drawing a similarity to its gaming division while hoping that all of the talent that may have been displaced by recent events manages to land on its feet.
Another response to the post suggests that some of entertainment’s big names need to conduct a little research before attempting to create a name for themselves in modern gaming, considering how challenging the industry can be for newcomers to navigate.
While the closure of one of its biggest studios is certain to be a disappointment to Netflix, time will tell if the streaming giant comes up with a better attempt at entering AAA gaming in the years to come.
