Netflix Closes Oxenfree Developer Night School Studio in Major Games Division Shift
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Netflix has shut down Oxenfree developer Night School Studio and scaled back its internal games division, shifting focus away from ambitious narrative projects toward casual and party games.
The streaming giant's ambitions to build a diverse portfolio of narrative games have taken another major hit. According to a report by Game File covered by Eurogamer, Netflix has officially decided to close Night School Studio alongside Moonloot, a developer that was reportedly working on a casual, social simulation game. This move comes shortly after Night School released Unhinged, an inventive horror title starring Zoë Kravitz and Sadie Sink that utilized both phones and TV screens for a short interactive experience. It felt like the exact kind of creative experiment players hoped for when the company first pushed into the gaming space.
Netflix acquired Night School Studio back in 2021 while the team was finishing Oxenfree 2. Following that release, the studio pivoted to smaller projects tied to Netflix properties, including the Black Mirror companion game Thronglets. Despite critical praise for these creative projects, the company is changing direction. A Netflix spokesperson stated that the organization is making changes to focus its execution, prioritizing kids games, party titles, and mainstream hooks over ambitious narrative experiments.
This closure is part of a broader contraction across Netflix and its gaming division over the last few years. Previous high-profile setbacks include the cancellation of a triple-A project led by a former Halo veteran, the closure of Squid Game developer Boss Fight, and the return of cosy game studio Spry Fox to its original founders. Meanwhile, partners like Ustwo Games saw Monument Valley 3 struggle to find an audience before being removed from the platform as the developer shifted back to a PC-first model. While Netflix maintains that games remain an expansion of its entertainment offerings, the loss of Night School signals a retreat from the creative risks that made the platform's games division genuinely exciting for core players.
Tags: Netflix Games, Night School Studio, Industry News, Mobile Gaming, Narrative Games
Original article: Eurogamer