Netflix has been making significant strategic shifts lately, particularly in their gaming division. They've recently unveiled their lineup of upcoming shows and games for the year, which, while exciting, also revealed some notable absences. Among these, Netflix Games has decided to drop several anticipated titles, including the popular Don’t Starve Together.

Six Games Missing from the Lineup

The streaming giant has confirmed the removal of six previously announced games from its mobile gaming catalog. Fans eagerly awaiting to play Don’t Starve Together, Tales of the Shire, Compass Point: West, Lab Rat, Rotwood, or Thirsty Suitors through Netflix Games will be disappointed as these titles are no longer part of the plan.

Netflix's decision to streamline its gaming portfolio led to these cancellations. This isn't the first time they've made such a move; Crashlands 2, for example, was also pulled from their lineup after initial beta testing in some regions. This reflects a broader shift in Netflix's gaming strategy, which now focuses more on narrative-driven games and titles inspired by their popular shows and movies, rather than indie games. A prime example of this new direction is Netflix Stories, which will include popular shows like Ginny & Georgia and Sweet Magnolias this year.

What About the Promised Games?

Despite these cancellations, most of the affected games are still set to launch on other platforms. Don’t Starve Together, initially announced in June 2024 as part of a trio of Klei Entertainment games coming to Netflix, will now be ported to mobile by Playdigious. Similarly, Lab Rat and Rotwood, the other two titles from Klei Entertainment, have been dropped by Netflix but Rotwood remains available in early access on Steam.

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 and will no longer be part of Netflix's lineup, as indicated by the removal of the Netflix Games logo from its website.

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

Thirsty Suitors, a stylish, story-driven RPG developed by Outerloop Games and published by Annapurna Interactive, was also set to come to mobile via Netflix but has now been excluded from their offerings.

Wrapping Up

This concludes our update on the games that Netflix Games has decided to scrap. While these titles won't be available through Netflix, you can still explore what other games they have to offer on the Google Play Store.

For those interested in Netflix's broader entertainment offerings, don't miss out on the latest news about Netflix Stories adding Ginny & Georgia and Sweet Magnolias later this year.