For years, Netflix has told investors that it’s serious about investing in the video game industry. But the streamer’s ambitions may need to be re-calibrated again. Boss Fight–the studio behind Netflix’s Squid Game: Unleashed mobile game–has been shut down.
David Rippy, the CEO and co-founder of Boss Fight, shared the news on his LinkedIn page, and shared his gratitude for the experience:
“Thanks, everyone who reached out today,” wrote Rippy. “Rough news, for sure, but I’m very grateful for the time we had at Netflix. We worked with some awesome people and made many games that I’m very proud of, including Squid Game Unleashed, which hit #1 in 26 countries. You’ll see lots of Boss Fighters with similar posts. Please consider them if you have any open roles–they are outstanding people and true professionals through-and-through. As for Bill, Scott and me–we’re going to take a little breather before tackling whatever is next. Love to hear from you if there’s anything interesting going on, workwise or otherwise.”
Last summer, Netflix co-CEO, president, and director Greg Peter indicated that the streamer was going to “ramp up” its investment in gaming in part to explore new monetization options. Earlier this month, Netflix added five new games–Lego Party, Boggle Party, Pictionary: Game Night, Tetris Time Warp, and Party Crashers–that can be played on televisions with your phone as the controller.
Previously, Netflix had even bigger plans for a AAA multiplayer shooter from a team that included Halo and Destiny veteran Joe Staten. However, that game and the studio behind it were closed in 2024. Netflix gaming executive Alain Tascan later told Bloomberg why the streamer pulled the plug on that project.
“I don’t want this move to be seen as, ‘We’re not going to do big ambitious games,'” said Tascan. “It was just the genre of the game… I don’t think was matching the platform. This team was really good at what they were doing, but we wouldn’t have been the best partner for them to express their skills and their expertise.”
