The streaming giant’s gaming division continues to reshape its strategy, with Netflix confirming that half a dozen anticipated games, including a Lord of the Rings title, have been removed from its upcoming release schedule. According to What’s On Netflix, the cancellations include Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game, which was originally planned for a fall 2024 launch before being pushed to early 2025. The game will still release on other platforms, including PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.
Other casualties include three titles from Klei Entertainment announced in June 2024: Don’t Starve Together, a co-op survival game that would have made its mobile debut; Lab Rat, an indie puzzler; and Rotwood, an action beat-em-up currently available on Steam in early access. The list of cancellations also features Compass Point: West from Netflix’s internal studio Next Games and Thirsty Suitors, a critically acclaimed story-driven RPG from Outerloop Games and Annapurna Interactive. These aren’t the first games to be canceled, with Crashlands 2 and Placid Plastic Duck also recently removed from development despite the latter undergoing beta testing in several regions.
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A Netflix representative explained these changes were “part of adjusting our portfolio as we learn more about what our members like.” Mobilegamer.biz reports this shift aligns with recent comments from Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters, who indicated the company would focus on “narrative, party, kids and known-IP games.”
The strategic pivot has already affected other projects, with the shutdown of AAA game studio Codename Blue last year and the termination of several mobile game servers in December, including Vikings: Valhalla, Desta: The Memories Between, Mighty Quest Rogue Palace, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon, and Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story.
The company’s new direction appears to favor games like Squid Game: Unleashed, which has garnered millions of downloads and built an active Discord community. Bill Jackson, creative director at Netflix’s Boss Fight studio, told Mobilegamer.biz that such adaptations of popular shows are driven by user data and fan demand.
“We could also create something completely unique, but if we are working with an IP, we want to make sure we do the best job for the fandom of that IP, and that starts with us collaborating with the creators of the IP to really understand their fandom,” Jackson explained.
Moving forward, Netflix aims to develop games that could serve as “a successor to family board game night” or evolve the traditional TV game show format, suggesting a more focused approach to their gaming ambitions.
