Spry Fox, the Seattle-based studio behind cozy games like Cozy Grove, got purchased by Netflix back in 2022 when the streaming giant was really trying to get into this whole videogame thing. While the acquisition did bear fruit—an upcoming mobile co-op life sim called Spirit Crossing—Spry Fox is parting ways with its owner after just three years, as reported by Game File.
Netflix is still on publishing duties for Spirit Crossing's mobile release, but it sounds like the now independent Spry Fox is keen to put the game on other platforms too. The Game File article shares a statement from studio co-founder David Edery: "Spirit Crossing was built to connect the world, bring people together and inspire kindness, so being able to bring the game to as many players, across different platforms, is truly the best thing for the game."
It seems to be a more peaceable transition than Netflix's sudden closure of Team Blue, which happened before the developer ever released a game. Both indicate shifting priorities for Netflix Games, though, which got a new president in ex-Epic exec Alain Tascan last year. Shortly after the closure of Team Blue, Netflix laid off an undisclosed number of people at Oxenfree developer Night School Studio, but then in October it offered up to $840,000 per year for a new Director of Generative AI for Games—make of that what you will.
It's not clear what this means for Spry Fox in the long term, but I'm elated to know Spirit Crossing may come to PC one day. I'm always game for another life sim—especially a multiplayer one—but not so game that I'd try to rope my PC gaming friends into a mobile exclusive.
