Netflix acquires developer behind Oxenfree, Night School Studio

By Kes Eylers-Stephenson,

Netflix has made its intentions about getting into the video game scene clear, and now it has made a big move. The streaming giant has acquired Oxenfree, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, and Afterparty developer, Night School Studio.

Night School Studios' Sean Krankel wrote a statement announcing the news, saying that "Night School wants to stretch our narrative and design aspirations across distinctive, original games with heart. Netflix gives film, TV, and now game makers an unprecedented canvas to create and deliver excellent entertainment to millions of people. Our explorations in narrative gameplay and Netflix's track record of supporting diverse storytellers was such a natural pairing. It felt like both teams came to this conclusion instinctively."

Don't worry about the sequel to narrative adventure Oxenfree, though. Krankel says Night School Studio is still working on Oxenfree II: Lost Signals and will "keep cooking up new game worlds."

Night School Studio are now the first major studio acquisition by Netflix after we learned the company wanted to eek itself into the video games space (link takes you to shadow-realm sister site TrueAchievements). In addition, Netflix has been pushing games into the Android space with Stranger Things 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game — the latter is now delisted. While the service was initially Polish-exclusive, it is now available for Netflix users in Italy and Spain.

Netflix's VP of game development, Mike Verdu, made a statement alongside Krankel, saying that Netflix will "continue working with developers around the world and hiring the best talent in the industry to deliver a great collection of exclusive games designed for every kind of gamer and any level of play." Verdu makes it clear that games are a part of Netflix's service for shows and movies, with "no ads and no in-app purchases."

How are we feeling about this? Do you like seeing more companies on the gaming scene? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by Kes Eylers-Stephenson

Editor Kes is our resident expert in PlayStation and other gaming news. He writes about exclusives like The Last of Us and God of War, PS Plus news, and his favourite games — The Witcher, Assassin’s Creed, and explosive racers — before an evening swim.