Netflix has laid off an unspecified number of staff at Oxenfree creator Night School Studio

Updated

Netflix

The streaming giant has enacted workforce reductions at Night School Studio, in a move that surprised staff at the indie games company.

Netflix has enacted workforce reductions at Night School Studio, renowned for the Oxenfree series, marking another significant shift within its interactive entertainment sector.

The details:

Game Developer magazine reports that an undisclosed number of Night School Studio employees were unexpectedly dismissed in January. This move surprised many within the indie game developer, which has been part of Netflix since its 2021 acquisition. While Netflix has refrained from commenting on the specifics of these job cuts, the layoffs have raised questions about the streaming giant's plans for its gaming division.
Night School Studio burst onto the gaming scene in 2016 with Oxenfree, a side-scrolling narrative adventure that combines teenage angst with eerie sci-fi mysteries. The game's rich dialogue and moody setting earned it critical acclaim. Despite this success, the studio's 2019 venture, Afterparty, which involves a quirky plot to outdrink Satan, didn't achieve similar recognition. Last year, the developer returned to its roots with Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals, which received a warm reception from both players and critics.
This development is part of Netflix's broader recalibration of its gaming strategy, which also saw the closure of a prominent game studio led by Joseph Staten in October 2024 and the cancellation of a highly anticipated game project. These strategic shifts occur alongside Netflix's announcement of its largest-ever quarterly subscriber increase, an achievement that was followed by another price hike for UK subscribers earlier this month.

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