Party Crashers

Superstar Session: Scaling Joy – Crafting Games for Everyone In The Room - Saara Bergström.

Saara Bergström, Managing Director of Next Games, presents the studio's journey from a free-to-play mobile developer into a first-party studio within Netflix.

Netflix to Shut Down Two More Game Studios

Netflix is closing two more of its internally owned game studios while saying it remains committed to games.

• Netflix is shutting down two internal game studios: Los Angeles-based Night School, acquired in 2021, and Helsinki-based Moonloot, founded in 2022.
• The closures are accompanied by additional job cuts within Netflix’s internal games team, though the company has declined to disclose the specific number of employees affected.
• Netflix is pivoting its gaming strategy to prioritize kids' content, party games, story-driven titles, and mainstream-appeal games like its recently released FIFA title.

Netflix’s Virtual Game Controller App: iOS U.S. Chart Performance

Netflix's Game Controller app, which turns iPhones and iPads into controllers for multiplayer games streamed through the Netflix app on TVs or computers, unexpectedly reached number one on the U.S. iOS free app chart in early April 2026.

• The Netflix Game Controller app reached the number one position on the U.S. iOS App Store free charts on April 5, 2026, outperforming major platforms like TikTok and ChatGPT.
• The app’s rapid ascent began on April 3, 2026, when it entered the top 25 free iOS apps before peaking two days later.
• The surge in downloads occurred without any coordinated promotional activity or paid advertising campaigns from Netflix.