Netflix Cancels Six Indie Games, Including 'Don’t Starve Together'

Netflix has been making significant adjustments to its gaming offerings recently. They unveiled their lineup of upcoming shows and games for the year, sparking excitement with some titles, but also raising eyebrows with the absence of others. Notably, Netflix Games has decided to remove Don’t Starve Together from its mobile platform, and it's not the only game to be dropped.

Six Games Missing from the Lineup

The streaming giant has chosen to eliminate six previously announced games from its mobile catalog. Fans eager to play Don’t Starve Together, Tales of the Shire, Compass Point: West, Lab Rat, Rotwood, or Thirsty Suitors via Netflix Games will be disappointed, as these titles won't be available through the service anymore.

Netflix is refining its gaming portfolio, and these games didn't meet the criteria. This isn't the first time Netflix has pulled games after initial announcements; Crashlands 2 is another example, having been removed even after beta testing began in certain regions.

This move is part of a broader shift in Netflix's gaming strategy, steering towards narrative-driven games and titles inspired by their popular shows and movies, rather than indie games. For instance, Netflix Stories is set to include popular series like Ginny & Georgia and Sweet Magnolias this year.

What About the Promised Games Like Don’t Starve Together?

While these games are no longer part of Netflix's offerings, most are still set to launch on other platforms. Don’t Starve Together, which was to be the first mobile release of the co-op survival game, was announced in June 2024 as part of a trio of Klei Entertainment titles coming to Netflix. However, Playdigious will now handle the mobile port.

Lab Rat and Rotwood, the other two Klei Entertainment games, have also been removed from Netflix’s plans. Rotwood, however, remains available on Steam in early access.

Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game, a cozy life sim originally slated for a fall 2024 release, has been delayed to early 2025. The absence of the Netflix Games logo from its website confirms its exclusion from Netflix’s lineup.

Compass Point: West, developed by Next Games (a studio owned by Netflix), was among the first titles announced for the platform, making its cancellation particularly surprising.

Finally, Thirsty Suitors, a stylish, story-driven RPG from Outerloop Games and published by Annapurna Interactive for Steam and consoles, was initially planned for a mobile release via Netflix but is no longer part of that plan.

This concludes our update on the games Netflix has decided to scrap. Meanwhile, you can explore other offerings from Netflix Games on the Google Play Store.

For more on Netflix, don't miss out on the news about Netflix Stories adding Ginny & Georgia and Sweet Magnolias later this year.