Netflix has closed a stellar AAA gaming studio with Halo and God of War veterans

Ambitious game studio Netflix in Southern California, which has lured several big names in the industry over the past two years, did not even live to announce its first game.

Image source: Steam (wetto)

We are talking about a team led by ex-Overwatch producer Chacko Sonny. The team included former God of War Ragnarok art director Raf Grassetti and Halo series veteran Joseph Staten.

Earlier it was reported that the studio was working on a project for a new intellectual property – an AAA action movie on Unreal Engine, the plot and characters of which should be “worthy of a film or Netflix series.”

Image Source: Steam (GamingTaylor)

The pursuit of a dream for all three ended in a collision with harsh reality. As Game File journalist Stephen Totilo reports, Netflix management has decided to close the studio.

In a conversation with Game File, the company refused to name the number of fired employees, but confirmed the fact that the team was liquidated – it was known as Team Blue.

Image source: Blizzard Entertainment

What awaits Team Blue’s star employees after the closure is unclear. Totilo noted that the situation casts doubt on Netflix’s video game ambitions, but the company still has many internal studios left.

Netflix included games in its subscription service in fall 2021 and continues to expand its library of mobile projects. The company’s gaming division was recently headed by former Epic Games vice president of development Alain Tascan.