One among Netflix’s most intriguing online game studios isn’t any extra.
The corporate’s Southern California recreation studio, one in all a handful of inside studios assembled by Netflix lately as a part of its growth into video video games, has been shut down, Sport File has realized.
The studio, often known as workforce “Blue,” appeared poised to interrupt the mildew of what Netflix is doing in gaming. Early hints in regards to the workforce’s work instructed it was pursuing a big-budget multi-device technique, signifying the formidable fringe of Netflix’s preliminary mobile-focused growth.
As proof of that, Crew Blue had made some splashy hires up to now two years:
In late 2022, Netflix wooed Overwatch govt producer Chacko Sonny from Blizzard to construct its SoCal studio. (Sonny had stints on Name of Responsibility and Sony Santa Monica earlier than that).
In spring 2023, Netflix’s SoCal studio added Joesph Staten, a longtime inventive lead on Microsoft’s Halo franchise at Bungie and 343 Industries. Staten was exiting the Xbox camp for Netflix to work “as inventive director for a brand-new AAA multiplatform recreation and authentic IP,” he mentioned on the time. That transfer was broadly lined within the gaming press, an indication that Netflix was very critical about this gaming factor.
That very same spring, Crew Blue additionally recruited artwork director Rafael Grassetti, who had practically a decade of expertise at Sony Santa Monica the place he’d most lately been the God of Conflict studio’s general artwork director.
As of October 2024, nonetheless, Netflix has shut down Crew Blue and all three of these massive hires are not on the firm, an organization rep confirmed to Sport File.
Is Netflix pulling again or sad with the output? Or is there one thing else happening right here?
