Gaming Industry Veteran Carrie Patel Moves from Obsidian to Netflix's Night School Studio

Carrie Patel, who recently served as game director for the fantasy RPG Avowed, has left Obsidian Entertainment to join Netflix-owned Night School Studio as a game director. Patel announced her career change on Tuesday through a LinkedIn post.

During her impressive 12-year tenure at Obsidian, Patel contributed to several popular titles in various roles. She worked as a narrative designer on the Pillars of Eternity series and The Outer Worlds, wrote for Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, and led narrative design for The Outer World's Peril on Gorgon expansion. Her career at Obsidian culminated with directing Avowed, which released in February 2025.

Night School Studio, known for story-driven games like Oxenfree, Afterparty, and Oxenfree 2, became part of Netflix in 2021. This acquisition was part of Netflix's strategy to expand into the gaming market.

Netflix's gaming ambitions have faced challenges recently. The streaming company previously established a AAA development studio staffed with veterans from major franchises like Halo and God of War, but shut it down last year before any projects were announced. Netflix's gaming division experienced further cuts in 2025, with several staff members being laid off from Night School Studio.

Meanwhile, Obsidian Entertainment continues to grow under Microsoft's ownership. CEO Feargus Urquhart noted that the studio has expanded significantly since being acquired in 2018, growing from approximately 170 developers to 285 team members in 2025.

Looking ahead, Obsidian is preparing to launch The Outer Worlds 2 later in 2025 under the direction of Brandon Adler. The Avowed team is also continuing to support their recent release with updates, a new Game Plus, and new features like photo mode.

Obsidian is scheduled to participate in a special showcase event on June 8, immediately following the Xbox Games Showcase, where we may learn more about the studio's upcoming projects.

What Patel will be working on at Night School Studio remains unknown, as the Netflix-owned developer has not yet announced its future game plans.