Netflix is shutting down Night School Studio and Moonloot Games. The move comes only weeks after Night School released Unhinged. Netflix is now looking to keep its gaming plans more focused. The company wants to focus more on kids' games, party games, story-based titles, and larger mainstream releases.
Night School is an important name in Netflix's gaming journey. Netflix bought the studio in 2021, and it was the first game studio acquired by the streaming company. The team became known for Oxenfree and Oxenfree II. Its latest game, Unhinged, arrived on Netflix on June 30. The unique aspect of the horror game is that it lets players use their phones as controllers on a TV.
About the studio shutdown, Netflix said, “We see an opportunity to be more focused in our execution, so we are making organizational changes to the business to match those priorities.” Further, the spokesperson added, “We are incredibly grateful to the talented colleagues we're saying goodbye to today. We thank them for all their contributions to Netflix, and wish them the best.”
The idea is to focus on fewer types of games instead of trying to do everything. Moonloot Games is also being closed as part of this change. Some members of Netflix's gaming team have reportedly been affected as well.
There is no word that Oxenfree or Unhinged will be removed from Netflix. For now, both games remain available to players. Still, Night School's closure feels like a big change. The studio helped Netflix seriously enter the gaming space. Its shutdown shows that Netflix is now taking a different path with games.