Back in March of this year, Netflix unveiled a new cozy MMO project under its gaming wing. The streamer has been trying to make games a part of its offerings for a while, mainly by offering mobile games in its subscription model. Netflix Games has also tried its hand at a few in-house games, mainly tie-ins from big Netflix properties like Squid Game. But after acquiring the studio behind beloved games like Cozy Grave, Netflix unveiled an ambitious new MMO. Now, ahead of an announcement during Game Awards week, Spirit Crossing has gotten an interesting update.
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The Game Awards may be the main event, but the week of the massive gaming awards show is stacked with other showcases. This includes the Wholesome Snack showcase, which focuses on cozy and laid-back games. Recently, the folks behind Wholesome Snack confirmed Spirit Crossing as one of the games poised to make an announcement during its showcase on December 9th. But ahead of what’s likely to be a new trailer and potential release date reveal for Spirit Crossing, Netflix has shared another update on its gaming division. Namely, Spry Fox has reportedly been sold back to its founders as Netflix downsizes its gaming wing yet again.
Netflix Downsizes Gaming Division Yet Again, But Spirit Crossing Is Still Happening
In the last few years, Netflix acquired a number of gaming studios in an attempt to expand on its Netflix Games division. However, the gaming wing of Netflix has been slow to grow, leading the streaming service to make some big changes. In the last year or so, many studios acquired by Netflix Games have been shut down, including its AAA effort, Team Blue. Earlier this year, the team behind the Squid Game mobile titles was also shuttered. Now, it looks like the developer working on Netflix’s first big MMO is being impacted by downsizing, as well. But this time, it looks a bit different.
Spry Fox was originally an indie studio, creating hits like Cozy Grove before being acquired by Netflix back in 2022. The Spirit Crossing reveal in March finally showcased what the team was working on as part of its new life at Netflix. Now, Netflix is parting ways with the Spry Fox team, as it has reportedly sold ownership of Spry Fox back to its original founders. Because of this deal, Spry Fox and Spirit Crossing will continue to exist, but the MMO’s future could look a bit different.
Most of Netflix’s big games so far have been subscriber-exclusive mobile titles. It’s likely that Spirit Crossing was being developed along those same lines. However, that could change now that Spry Fox is once again an independent entity. Netflix will still operate as the publisher for the mobile version of Spirit Crossing, which is set to release sometime in 2026. But now, the game is eyeing additional platforms, though we don’t yet know which platforms those might be.
Given that Spirit Crossing is slated to appear in the Game Awards Wholesome Snack showcase, we’ll likely learn more soon. This announcement may well be confirmation of additional platforms for the game. However, given the timing of this announcement, it could be a trailer or release date reveal that was already in the works before Spry Fox and Netflix parted ways. With the studio’s track record for creating popular cozy games, many eyes will be on Spirit Crossing as it makes its way towards release.
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