The studio behind Netflix's FIFA World Cup game is being shut down eight weeks after it launched

Refractor Studios, the Los Angeles-based developer behind FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition on Netflix, has reportedly been shut down by its parent company Delphi Interactive just eight weeks after the game shipped. According to Game Developer, multiple employees announced their layoffs on LinkedIn over the weekend, with some stating the entire studio was dissolved after Delphi pulled its funding. Netflix had publicly described the game as one of its most successful cloud gaming launches, making the closure a particularly jarring outcome for the team.

The details:

• FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition launched exclusively on Netflix Games on June 11, 2026, allowing subscribers to play on TV or PC with up to four friends. Critics were broadly negative on the game's visuals and gameplay, but Netflix publicly called it a "top-tier" performer and one of the streamer's most successful game launches.
• Delphi Interactive, a publisher founded in 2020 that licenses IP and co-develops games with third-party studios, was a part-owner of Refractor. According to LinkedIn posts from affected employees, Delphi pulled funding from the studio shortly after shipping the game, resulting in the closure of the entire development team.
• Art director Barclay Chantel wrote on LinkedIn: "Delphi just pulled the plug on Refactor Studios right after we shipped the FIFA World Cup game for Netflix." Full stack developer Nathan Potter confirmed: "After we shipped FIFA World Cup Launch Edition, the studio's parent company pulled its funding. The entire development team has been laid off."
• The number of people affected has not been officially confirmed, but reports suggest around 80 employees were let go. Delphi Interactive has not publicly commented on the closure, and Kotaku says it has contacted the company for more information.