Netflix to close Night School and Moonloot, cuts internal game roles
Key takeaways
- Netflix will close Night School (Los Angeles) and Moonloot (Helsinki)
- Night School was acquired in 2021 and released Unhinged six weeks ago
- Moonloot was founded in Helsinki in 2022
- Netflix previously closed Team Blue (2024), Boss Fight (Oct), and sold Spry Fox (Dec)
Netflix has told staff it will close Los Angeles studio Night School and Helsinki studio Moonloot, according to a GameFile report. The company said the organisational changes align with a focus on kids’ games, party games, story-driven titles and games with mainstream appeal, including its recently released FIFA title.
Night School joined Netflix in 2021 and shipped Unhinged, a 30-minute first-person horror game, just six weeks ago; Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters praised the release for having “really solid numbers” on an investor call. Moonloot was founded in Helsinki in 2022. A Netflix spokesperson said, “We see an opportunity to be more focused in our execution, so we are making organisational changes to the business to match those priorities.”
The company also confirmed it is cutting roles from its internal games team, but declined to disclose how many positions are affected. Netflix thanked affected colleagues for their contributions in a company statement: “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.” These closures follow earlier moves: Team Blue was shut in 2024, Boss Fight closed last October, and cosy studio Spry Fox was sold back to its founders in December.
Netflix has been shifting away from a mobile-first approach toward cloud-delivered games on TVs and PCs, with phones used as controllers. The company said games remain an opportunity to expand what it offers members, and has highlighted mainstream titles such as its FIFA release as part of the new slate.
Why it matters
Takeaway: Night School shipped a praised title just six weeks before this closure — a quick turnaround between release and shutdown that players and studio watchers will notice, and that joins a string of recent studio exits and a clear platform shift toward TV/PC cloud games.
Original source
PocketGamer.biz
