From the moment it was announced that Netflix had hired a team of former Blizzard, Bungie, and Sony developers to make a AAA game, there was a sense that it was likely to achieve little or nothing. It often seems to end up this way when non-gaming companies decide to pay big names to get a piece of the pie (although Amazon is now clearly opposed to this approach). according to game files(written by Stephen Totilo (late of this parish)), Netflix’s so-called “Blue Team” shut down less than two years after its creation.
Netflix has been more successful than some other companies in its foray into video games, though that’s mostly by acquiring studios that already make games and then releasing them under their own labels. For example, purchase Night School Studio and publish Oxfree II. But considering the streamer’s (wise) focus on action gaming, hiring some serious industry bigwigs for a bigger project would be a counter move.
April 2023, It was announced that Joseph Stanton——Creative Director faint franchise, which includes joining Netflix Games to helm “a new AAA multi-platform game and original IP.” He joins other big names in the division led by former EA executive Mike Verdu, such as Blizzard producer Chacko Sonny and art director at Sony Santa Monica. MarsRaphael Grassetti. The titular fantasy team was supposed to create something brand new, but now it looks like we may not see any of their work.
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This is not uncommon in the gaming industry. It’s common for publishers to hire one or two big names after achieving great success, only to find out a few years later that person has left with no new games. Internal projects often fail to get into alpha – a process that can take months or years – even if no version is released. able It was a positive experience. (You can usually tell when the individual in question leaves and starts his own studio, hiring a lot of shady former colleagues.) But when it’s a company with no real game development experience, it seems more likely to fail.
Ask anyone at Typhoon Studios, which was acquired by Google before launch. Journey to the Savage Planet in search engines The ill-fated foray into epic albatross Stadia. No, seriously ask them because they won’t hesitate to talk about how bad things are. Now independent again and under the new name Raccoon Logic, the team has made a satirical game based on the entire ordeal, Revenge of the Savage Planet.
Netflix’s AAA studio, commonly known as Team Blue, seems to be following this trend. Totillo’s game files Team Blue has reportedly shut down and all three big names are no longer working with Netflix after speaking with company representatives.
As of this writing, Staten, Sonny, and Grassetti still list Netflix as their workplace on LinkedIn, which is pretty sad right now. recent posts Stanton spoke of being excited about the team’s “narrative ambitions.” Just a month ago, they seemed to be recruiting aggressively.
We wish those affected the best.
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