A former Netflix game studio went indie to reach more players | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersExpandThe Verge DailyInstallerVerge DealsNotepadOptimizerRegulatorThe StepbackArchivesStoreSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.A former Netflix game studio went indie to reach more playersComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...EntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentGamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportA former Netflix game studio went indie to reach more playersThe cofounder of Spirit Crossing developer Spry Fox explains why the studio went back to being independent.The cofounder of Spirit Crossing developer Spry Fox explains why the studio went back to being independent.by Andrew WebsterCloseAndrew WebsterSenior entertainment editorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew WebsterJan 27, 2026, 6:30 PM UTCLinkShareGiftIf you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.Image: Spry FoxAndrew WebsterCloseAndrew WebsterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew Webster is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.When Netflix first acquired cozy game developer Spry Fox in 2022, it made a lot of sense. The studio had been around for over a decade and had several hits with mobile games like Triple Town and Alphabear. That approachable style of puzzle game seemed like a good fit for Netflix’s mobile-first strategy, and, as Spry Fox cofounder David Edery tells me, the partnership also meant that the team could focus on making the experiences they wanted to build without having to worry about monetization. “We just never were that good at making money from our games,” Edery explains.Now, three years later, Spry Fox is once again independent after buying itself out from Netflix. The news comes as the streaming service’s fledgling gaming efforts are shifting, with a focus on TV-based games as opposed to mobile titles. Even studios behind successful games, like Squid Game: Unleashed, have been shuttered as part of the changes. But for Spry Fox, the decision to separate from Netflix was done for a different reason: to reach as large an audience as possible with the studio’s upcoming MMO Spirit Crossing.“At some point, I increasingly became concerned about the fact that being a Netflix member-only game was a real issue for it,” Edery explains. “It’s a highly social game. People want to be able to play with their friends. If their friends are not Netflix members, that’s kind of a problem.”Spirit Crossing is a large-scale multiplayer game about fostering friendship and community in a fantastical and adorable world. It’s the biggest experience the studio has ever made, but also feels like a natural progression; after achieving success with those early mobile titles, Spry Fox pushed further into the so-called “cozy” genre with the Animal Crossing-style series Cozy Grove. While those games are single-player, Spirit Crossing aims to do something similar but in a virtual world filled with lots of players. The goal is ambitious. “We genuinely believe this is our chance to reduce loneliness in the world,” says Edery. “That’s the sum total of everything that we care about.”Development on Spirit Crossing predates the Netflix deal, and in fact represents something of a brief history of indie game funding over the last few years. The game’s initial prototype began life as an exclusive for Google’s Stadia streaming service. After Stadia’s high-profile implosion, Spry Fox retained ownership of the project, and eventually Epic picked up the game as part of its relatively new publishing initiative.“We genuinely believe this is our chance to reduce loneliness in the world.”“That was great because they were very supportive and they gave us a big budget,” Edery says of working with Epic. “And then the Netflix thing kind of came out of nowhere. I wasn’t looking to be acquired at the time, and I certainly didn’t think it would be Netflix of all companies, but they came by and it seemed like a good idea for a few different reasons.”From the outside, Netflix’s efforts in gaming have seemed chaotic. The company has tried everything from games based on its shows to building a AAA studio without much success. Last year at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Netflix’s president of games, Alain Tascan, outlined a new plan focused on specific types of games, including what he called “mainstream” titles aimed at large audiences, of which Spirit Crossing was shown as an example. Of late, however, Netflix seems mostly focused on cloud-based games played on TVs instead of phones.Image: Spry FoxDespite all of that, Edery says the team at Spry Fox wasn’t impacted much by Netflix’s changing priorities. “We were essentially brought in to make and launch Spirit Crossing,” he says. “We just kept doing what we were doing, so I think we were less affected by changes than maybe other folks internally would have been. We had a pretty clear vision and, for better or worse, we weren’t going to be steered off of that.”Edery says that at each stage, from Stadia to Netflix, Spirit Crossing grew in scope and ambition. And eventually it became clear that a game built around connecting as many people as possible didn’t fit so snugly in Netflix’s plans, which limit the platforms a game can launch on. Edery notes that Cozy Grove, for example, was most successful on the Nintendo Switch, where cozy games are very popular. “Not being able to be on the Switch is a real limitation, possibly a really problematic limitation,” he says of Spirit Crossing.“Not being able to be on the Switch is a real limitation”So the split from Netflix was done in the best interest of the game; while a Switch version has yet to be announced, Spirit Crossing will be coming to PC in addition to the iPhone and Android. And there’s still a partnership with Netflix in place, as the mobile version will still be free and exclusive to subscribers. “It still has to make sense for Netflix,” Edery notes. But there are obvious risks involved in going independent, and already the team is making sacrifices. Edery says that he and fellow cofounder Daniel Cook have reduced their salaries to $20,000 a year.The majority of development on Spirit Crossing was finished during the three years Spry Fox was under the Netflix umbrella, and the team expects to launch the game this year. (You can currently sign up to play an alpha of the game.) Even before Spirit Crossing launches, Spry Fox’s long journey back to independence represents a rare positive story in an industry plagued with layoffs, cancellations, and studio closures. But there’s one big thing the team still has left to do, and it’s not something Edery is looking forward to: “We have to figure out how to make money now.”Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Andrew WebsterCloseAndrew WebsterSenior entertainment editorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew WebsterEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentGamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingNetflixCloseNetflixPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NetflixReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportStreamingCloseStreamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All StreamingMost PopularMost PopularI grew up with Alex PrettiTikTok USA is brokenPayment processors were against CSAM until Grok started making itEven the big dick subreddit is mad about ICETikTokers are heading to UpScrolled following US takeoverThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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Spry Fox, the developer behind cozy games like *Triple Town* and *Alphabear*, has recently returned to independence after a three-year partnership with Netflix. This decision primarily stems from the differing priorities between the streaming giant and the studio, particularly concerning the launch of their ambitious, large-scale multiplayer MMO, *Spirit Crossing*. The cofounder of Spry Fox, David Edery, explains the strategic rationale behind this move, emphasizing a desire to maximize the game's reach and potential audience, a goal constrained by Netflix’s focus on TV-based games and broader shifts in the company’s gaming strategy.

Essentially, *Spirit Crossing*, a game focused on fostering friendship and community in a fantastical world, proved problematic for Netflix’s approach. The game’s social nature—requiring players to connect and play together—directly clashed with Netflix’s evolving strategy, which prioritized TV-based games and a more centralized, streaming-focused model. The potential for player interaction, a crucial element of *Spirit Crossing*'s design, was deemed a significant limitation within Netflix’s framework. This created a disconnect between the ambitions of the developers and the overarching objectives of their partner.

The decision to separate from Netflix initially arose from the realization that the game’s requirements—specifically, its reliance on player-to-player interaction—didn’t align with Netflix’s shifting strategic landscape. The game’s success was predicated on its ability to bring people together, a characteristic that was increasingly at odds with Netflix’s move towards more contained, TV-centric gaming experiences. This meant *Spirit Crossing* wouldn’t benefit from the reach and platform diversity Netflix offered, potentially limiting its success.

The journey to independence wasn't straightforward. The initial prototype of *Spirit Crossing* had begun life as an exclusive title for Google’s now defunct Stadia streaming service, demonstrating a period of varied funding and experimentation. After Stadia’s collapse, Spry Fox retained ownership of the project, a significant turning point, and eventually secured a partnership with Epic Games, which provided a substantial budget and support. However, when Netflix entered the picture, the situation changed, and the developers found themselves navigating an unexpected and ultimately unsuitable partnership.

To mitigate this issue, Edery and co-founder Daniel Cook significantly reduced their salaries to $20,000 a year, demonstrating a commitment to the project despite the challenging circumstances. The vast majority of *Spirit Crossing’s* development occurred during the Netflix partnership, but the original intention to create a game that connects players has remained. The team’s primary concern was to establish a game that could bring people together.

Looking ahead, Spry Fox is planning to launch *Spirit Crossing* on PC, in addition to its initial release on iOS and Android, and the company is actively seeking ways to generate revenue, a critical new challenge following their departure from Netflix. Ultimately, the decision reflects a belief that *Spirit Crossing*’s core concept—a social, community-focused MMO in a fantastical setting—is best realized through independent development, prioritizing the game's intended audience above corporate restrictions.