Netflix Closes California-Based Game Development Studio

In a recent development, Netflix has announced the shutdown of its prominent AAA game studio in Southern California, known as Team Blue. According to reports from Game File, the closure marks the end of the company's fifth internal studio, with three key hires leaving the organization. The departing team members include studio lead Chacko Sonny, creative director Joseph Staten, and art director Rafael Grassetti, all of whom were brought on board within the past year to work on a new AAA IP project. The studio had been working on an ambitious multi-device strategy, but its closure has resulted in a round of layoffs affecting 35 people. This move comes on the heels of Netflix Games president Alain Tascan appointing former Epic vice president of games development Jeet Shroff as the new vice president of games tech and portfolio development.