Delphi Interactive allegedly torched Refactor Games days after the studio delivered FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition to Netflix, leaving former staffers scrambling for new gigs via LinkedIn posts.

The U.S. studio, stocked with ex-EA Sports and 2K talent, had shipped its debut Football Simulator into early access back in 2022 before pivoting to the official FIFA-licensed soccer sim. Staffers claim funding vanished right after the June 11 Netflix drop, with one employee stating the entire team was let go and another noting the studio started with around 30 people and ballooned past 100 before the axe fell.

Delphi part-owns Refactor and had positioned the Netflix exclusive as a key project timed for the 2026 World Cup, yet multiple reports confirm the studio's lights went out immediately post-launch despite Netflix calling the title a "top tier" performer even as critics panned it. Game Developer reached out to both companies for comment, but the pattern of post-ship studio closures continues without accountability.

This isn't isolated crunch theater—it's the industry treating devs as disposable once the deliverable hits the platform.