Netflix cancels ‘AAA’ game from former Overwatch producer

Back in 2022 as Netflix began to ramp up its work in the video game space, the company hired former Blizzard veteran and Overwatch producer, Chacko Sonny, to lead a new team to work on a multiplatform game. Unfortunately, the studio appears to have been closed before it could even announce its project to the world. 

As reported by Game File and The Verge, the studio was known internally as ‘Blue'. The team was working on a multi-platform AAA game, but further specifics about the project are not publicly known. The team was headed by Overwatch executive producer, Chacko Sonny, who may no longer be working at the company.

Netflix has primarily focused on acquiring smaller independent studios and has focused on publishing deals for access to bigger franchises, like Grand Theft Auto. Developing AAA video games internally is a very different market and is prone to huge financial risk. With that in mind, Netflix may be looking to refocus its budget on its strengths, rather than chase in-house AAA development ambitions.

While Netflix is well known in the entertainment world, it is a newcomer to video games. Google, one of the richest tech companies on the planet, gave up on AAA game development after just one year, which just goes to show how financially risky high-budget games can be.

KitGuru Says: Netflix might be better served by licensing out a franchise if it wants a AAA game, as maintaining a AAA-size studio is a very expensive endeavour. 

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