Gaming.
That was supposed to be the next big thing on Netflix’s roadmap, a strategy not just to rule living rooms, but also to conquer every phone and TV in the house. When the streaming giant bought Boss Fight Entertainment back in 2022, it felt like a statement. Netflix wasn’t just experimenting with games; it was gearing up for a real fight.
And Boss Fight delivered.
Squid Game: Unleashed, inspired by one of Netflix’s biggest shows ever, hit #1 in 26 countries. A result any studio would proudly print on T-shirts.
Yet… Netflix just shut the studio down.
“Rough news,” wrote co-founder David Rippy on LinkedIn, thanking his team, celebrating the success, and announcing a break before moving on. Another leader, David Luehmann, said the closure comes even as multiple in-progress titles were showing strong promise.
So why close a winning studio?
Netflix says it’s restructuring. A shift in priorities. Instead of expanding aggressively, it now wants to focus on four gaming pillars: party games, narrative games, kids’ titles, and mainstream hits.
Boss Fight, with its bigger builds and experimental projects, no longer fits that newly-narrow mold.
It’s a surprising move. On one hand, Netflix keeps saying gaming is the future. On the other, shutting down a team that already proved it can turn Netflix properties into global gaming successes feels… confusing.
Sure, Squid Game: Unleashed and Netflix Stories will stay available. But shutting down the people who made them?
That’s the part that raises eyebrows, and questions about how serious Netflix really is about playing this game.