"The developer of Cozy Grove and Alphabear is leaving Netflix. Spry Fox is being sold back to its original founders, Game File reports, and will continue to work on its upcoming "cooperative village life sim" Spirit Crossing as an independent company. Unlike other shuttered Netflix games studios Team Blue and Boss Fight Entertainment, Netflix will remain involved with the studio as Spirit Crossing's publisher on mobile."
"Netflix acquired Spry Fox in 2022, a little over a year after it acquired Oxenfree developer Night School. Spry Fox released its first game for Netflix subscribers, a sequel to Cozy Grove, in 2024. The studio formally announced Spirit Crossing in March of this year, as an ambitious attempt to fuse the cozy life simulation elements of something like Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the online social experiences of MMOs like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV."
"As part of the arrangement, Spry Fox founders David Edery and Daniel Cook will be able to shop Spirit Crossing to other publishers for console and PC releases of the game. While reverting to being an independent studio is definitely a happier version of the typical studio closure story, it might not be without issues. Game File reports that layoffs at Spry Fox are still possible and the developer will need to find additional funding to continue long-term."
Spry Fox is being sold back to its original founders, David Edery and Daniel Cook, and will continue developing Spirit Crossing as an independent studio. Netflix will remain involved by publishing Spirit Crossing on mobile, while the founders can seek other publishers for console and PC releases. The studio faces potential layoffs and will need additional funding to sustain long-term operations. Spirit Crossing may require design or monetization changes so Spry Fox can earn revenue after player purchases. Netflix acquired Spry Fox in 2022 and the studio released a Cozy Grove sequel for Netflix subscribers in 2024. Spirit Crossing aims to blend cozy life-sim elements with MMO-style online social features.
Read at Engadget
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