The truth behind the resurrection of Poinpy

Senior Editor, News,GameDeveloper.com

July 30, 2026

4 Min Read

Image via Devolver Digital

Last week, Devolver Digital brought effusive mobile platformer Poinpy back from the dead around one year after the title was delisted from Netflix Games (thanks, Forbes).

It wasn't clear what happened to Poinpy when it vanished from Netflix Games. The title launched exclusively on the platform in 2022, but in the years that followed the streamer chose to refocus its video game efforts around casual titles and party games that can be played on televisions using virtual controllers. It's a move that resulted in numerous titles and studios, including Monument Valley 3 and Spry Fox, being jettisoned by the media giant.

You might assume Poinpy was caught in the crossfire during that strategy shift, but Devolver co-founder Nigel Lowrie explains the truth of the matter is perhaps more mundane. Devolver simply penned a timed exclusivity deal with Netflix to launch Poinpy on the platform. Once that term expired, the publisher had the freedom to bring the acclaimed juice-em-up to the masses.

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"Netflix saw the game when it was in development and worked with Ojiro and our team at Devolver on a deal that had Poinpy debut on the service. Once that term was up, we were free to release on mobile ourselves with no strings attached," explains Lowrie.

What about the decision to release Poinpy for free? No hidden in-app purchases or microtransactions. No pesky advertisements. Just pure, not-from-concentrate gameplay.

"[Poinpy creator] Ojiro [Fumoto] took some time to make sure it was smooth as a game outside the Netflix service, things like leaderboards, etc. As for making the game free, Ojiro had this idea to make it totally free with a small tip option for folks that wanted to show their appreciation—which we loved," Lowrie continues.

Offering his two cents on the situation, Fumoto believes Poinpy would not have been made without support from Netflix—and clearly harbors no ill feelings towards the company. "I'm forever thankful that they collaborated with us," he says. "As for finding an audience, it helped for sure as they did some fun things to reveal and release the game, and they even gave us a spotlight as part of the first batch of titles for their platform. Given their reach, which is unlike any typical games publisher's, I think it put Poinpy into the hands of many users who would have otherwise never come into contact with the game."

Sometimes, on perhaps the rarest of occasions, the phrase 'all's well that ends well' has some basis in reality. Poinpy lived and died on Netflix, finding an audience in the process. Then, it blinked out of existence, but not because of some nefarious publishing small print or corporate meddling. In this instance, it was simply the inevitable outcome of a contract running its course.

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Still, it seems there's something to be said for ensuring a contract allows artists to re-release their work on their own terms once an exclusivity window has closed.

Oh, and it would have been remiss of me to quiz Fumoto without enquiring as to how the name 'Poinpy'—a truly sumptuous word that has burrowed its way into my brain—was coined. Much like the big bang, it's a semantic cluster that seems to predate time itself.

"Funny story is, the title being 'Poinpy' was the first thing that was decided about the game, even before we had any concept for it. Me and the lead (sole) artist on the game were trying to get a project going together and we sort of jammed out ideas, one of which was his 'Poinpee' sketch (shown below)," explains Fumoto.

"Then I started working on pull-and-release 2D platformer controls for touchscreens to see what sort of a game could be made out of it. Then the combo mechanic, then juicing, then the beast… there were drastic changes made to all aspects of the game over the course of development, but throughout everything the title would stay as a spiritual pillar we'd look to whenever we were lost: What sort of a game would one named 'Poinpy' be?

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A damn good one, in our estimation.

Image via Ojiro Fumoto

About the Author

Senior Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton.