adminNetflix game studio closures have affected Night School Studio and Helsinki-based Moonloot Games, alongside additional job cuts across the company’s games teams. Netflix has not disclosed how many employees are affected. The changes come as the streaming service narrows its gaming operations and priorities.
Image credit: Night School Studio/Netflix
Netflix game studio closures: what happened?
Netflix has shut down Night School Studio and Moonloot Games. A company representative also confirmed that roles are being eliminated elsewhere across its games teams, but did not provide a total. Following the closures, Next Games is Netflix’s only internal game studio, alongside the company’s gaming team, which collaborates with external developers.
Netflix acquired Night School in 2021 as it expanded into games and hired Mike Verdu as vice president of game development. In a 2024 restructuring, Alain Tascan became president of games, while Verdu moved into a vice president role focused on generative AI. Verdu left Netflix in March 2025.
Night School’s games and recent workforce changes
Night School is best known for Oxenfree, released in 2016, and its sequel, Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals, which launched in 2023. Its latest title, Unhinged, had launched six weeks earlier. Netflix had identified the game as one of its most successful cloud game debuts, alongside Refactor Games’ FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition.
Night School had already reduced its workforce by an undisclosed amount in February. Reports at the time said those cuts were not expected to affect games in development. Refactor Games, which is partially owned by Delphi Interactive, also reduced its staff by 85% earlier this month.
Practical context: A studio closure does not, by itself, confirm whether previously released games will be removed from a service. Players should check Netflix’s game listings for current availability and any announced support changes.
Moonloot Games and Netflix’s changing strategy
Marko Lastikka founded Moonloot in 2022. The studio had not announced a project, though reports said it was developing a game similar to Animal Crossing. Because no title had been publicly revealed, there are no confirmed project details to assess.
Netflix has described its games offering as a way to broaden entertainment choices for members. The company has also said it is making organisational changes to focus its execution on priority areas. In February 2024, Netflix cancelled six planned game launches to align its portfolio more closely with member preferences.
The company subsequently organised its games strategy around four areas: mainstream games, narrative games, party games, and kids games. After Netflix Playground launched globally in April, the dedicated mobile app for children tripled its daily player count, with kids’ engagement rising 600% year over year.
What happens to Netflix’s remaining studios?
Netflix acquired Next Games in 2022 for approximately €65 million. It has also acquired, closed, or divested several studios as it has developed its games business. Team Blue shut down in 2024, followed by Boss Fight in October; Netflix had acquired Boss Fight in 2022. Twenty-six Boss Fight developers formed a new studio earlier this year, and Netflix sold Spry Fox back to its founders in December.
These Netflix game studio closures mark another change in how the company organises its games business. For players, the most useful indicators to watch are updates to the games catalogue, announcements about ongoing support, and new releases from Netflix’s remaining internal studio and external development partners.
