Netflix closes its AAA game studio, shuttering the team that pulled in Halo and God of War veterans
Netflix has closed Team Blue, a AAA game studio that attracted veteran developers from franchises like Halo and God of War.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
What you need to know
Another promising game studio is being shuttered.
This time, the culprits are over atNetflix Games, with the company choosing to close down Team Blue, a studio based in Southern California in the U.S. that was working on a multiplatform AAA game. The closure was confirmed by Netflix in a statement to reporter Stephen Totilo’sGame Filesubscription.
-Best Xbox headsets to get in 2024-Best upcoming Xbox games-Best gaming laptops in 2024-Best Xbox controller deals-Best Xbox hard drives-Best Xbox SSDs
Team Blue picked up several veterans from across the gaming industry over the last couple of years, with the studio notablyhiring Halo director Joseph Staten in 2023, with Staten having most recently served as creative director on Halo Infinite at 343 Industries (nowHalo Studios). Team Blue also hired other senior talent like Rafael Grassetti, art director onGod of War (2018)and God of War Ragnarök at Sony Santa Monica, as well as Overwatch executive producer Chacko Sonny from Blizzard Entertainment.
Netflix Games continues to operate a few gaming studios,having acquired multiple teamsin the past few years, including Oxenfree developer Night School Studio. The company also established a fourth team in Helsinki, Finland, to aid with mobile game development.
A disappointing but not entirely shocking move
It’s become abundantly clear over the last couple of years that multiple titans of tech and entertainment aren’t actually willing to invest the money and time it takes to craft larger games. Netflix has found some initial success in mobile games, and I expect the company will continue to double-down on that venture for the time being.
A AAA studio though? It might’ve been several years before there was a game that was ready, something Netflix just isn’t willing to see through. Personally, I’ll remain disappointed, as I would’ve liked to see what this team could’ve accomplished.
At least outside of games, Netflix remains on a hot streak with its gaming-inspired animated series, with the recent launch of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft and an upcoming second season of Castlevania: Nocturne.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
🎃The best early Black Friday deals🦃
Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.
