Developer Night School Studio, the team behind the horror title Oxenfree, as well as the recently released Unhinged, which David Fincher and Zach Cregger backed, is being shut down, it was announced. The studio was acquired by Netflix back in 2021, while the studio was in the process of developing Oxenfree II. Netflix is also closing Moonloot, the Helsinki-based studio founded in 2022, which had yet to release its first title, though it was rumored to be an Animal Crossing-style life sim title.
Under Netflix, Night School Studio released Oxenfree II: Lost Signals in 2023 for both consoles and PC, from which were smaller titles exclusive to the Netflix app. The studio’s next title was Thronglets, which was released for IOS and Android being based on a season seven episode of Black Mirror. Their next title was Unhinged, which was released less than two months ago, for IOS and Android as well.
Netflix was excited to get into gaming and has begun to push its gaming platform to more places, such as TV. That said, the two studio closures are only the latest in a series that have shrunk the streaming service’s gaming business down to Next Games, a Helsinki-based studio, and a studio that works exclusively with external developers. Over the last few years, Netflix has divested from other studios like Cozy Grove developer Spry Fox (which is now fully owned by the founders), the Squid Game mobile developer Boss Fight, as well as a AAA studio named Team Blue.
Despite this, Netflix remains focused on expanding its gaming presence, such as playing games on the TV via your phone, a feature titles like Unhinged took advantage of. Under president of games Alain Tascan, who joined in 2024, the streamer’s gaming strategy is divided into four categories: kids, party, narrative, and mainstream.
Remember to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Bluesky to keep up to date on everything we have going on!
