Spry Fox joins Netflix as the company's sixth in-house game studio

With the acquisition of another game studio, Netflix's foray into the gaming industry deepens. Spry Fox, a Seattle-based independent game company known for original titles like Alphabear, Cozy Grove, and Bushido Bear, is now added under the wing of Netflix this time. 

Amir Rahimi, VP, Game Studios at Netflix, said, “We look forward to creating games with a studio whose values — a relentless focus on employee and player joy — align closely with ours.

“Our games journey has only just begun, but I’m proud of the foundational work we’ve been doing to build out our in-house creative capacity so that we can deliver the best possible games experience — including no ads and no in-app purchases — to our members as part of their membership.”

Daniel Cook, co-founder of Spry Fox, added on the acquisition: “When David and I founded Spry Fox twelve years ago, our goal was to create a place where kind, creative people could make beautiful, original games in a supportive environment that brought happiness to the people who played them. After many heartfelt conversations, we are all excited about joining Netflix as an in-house game studio and building amazing games together.”

The acquisition of Spry Fox demonstrates Netflix's continued determination to make video games a significant component of the subscription service's appeal, but the firm still faces an uphill struggle in terms of exposure. Although Netflix has become aligned with streaming, few people link it with video games. Of course, if Netflix can get more people interested in gaming, it may lead to a lot more growth in this market.

The gaming studio has confirmed to be working on a sequel to their hit game Cozy Grove 2 and an unnamed "non-violent MMO," both of which are anticipated to be released in collaboration with Netflix.