Netflix Shuts Down ‘AAA’ Gaming Studio, High-Profile Devs Leave the Company
Netflix has shut down its triple-A gaming studio set up in Southern California, leading to the exit of a number of high-profile developers from the company and sparking questions about its gaming ambitions.
Game File broke the news that the studio, which had former Overwatch executive producer Chacko Sonn and veteran Halo creative director Joseph Staten on its books, is no more, and Sonn, Staten, and art director Rafael Grassetti, who was art director at God of War developer Sony Santa Monica before joining Netflix in spring 2023, have all left.
Staten only joined Netflix in April last year. Staten, one the original architects of Halo who came in late in Halo Infinite's development process to help land that very important plane for Microsoft, joined Netflix as the creative director of Netflix Games, and was set upon building a new AAA multiplatform game and original IP.
"In my work life, there's nothing I love more than collaborating with others to build worlds filled with iconic characters, deep mysteries, and endless adventures," Staten told IGN at the time. "So today, I'm thrilled to announce that I've joined Netflix Games as creative director for a brand-new triple-A multiplatform game and original IP. Let's go!"
