Post by : Badri Ariffin

Netflix has announced the closure of Boss Fight Entertainment, a Texas-based video game studio acquired in 2022, marking a pivotal shift in the company’s gaming strategy. According to insiders, this decision signals a significant change in the direction of Netflix’s gaming division, which has been struggling to find its footing.

Boss Fight was renowned for creating Squid Game: Unleashed, a mobile game launched last year that allowed users to engage with one of Netflix’s flagship shows in an interactive format. The studio also played a role in Netflix Stories, a collection of narrative-driven games that reimagined popular Netflix series as playable experiences. Despite the studio's closure, both Squid Game: Unleashed and Netflix Stories will remain accessible for players.

This strategic move comes under the guidance of Alain Tascan, Netflix’s VP of Games, who is directing the service away from heavy reliance on mobile games. The new focus will prioritize party games, children’s games, and narrative-rich titles tailored for TV viewing, reflecting the preferences of a majority of Netflix subscribers.

Earlier this month, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters unveiled new interactive games like Boggle and Pictionary, indicating a deliberate shift toward family-centric and mainstream entertainment.

Though Netflix made ambitious strides in gaming by acquiring three studios between 2021 and 2022, including Boss Fight, the closure suggests that its initial mobile focus did not align with user engagement. This latest decision underscores Netflix’s pursuit of a sustainable strategy within the competitive gaming landscape, where the domains of streaming and interactive entertainment increasingly overlap.

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