How community and toxicity influence “kind games” like Netflix’s Spirit Crossing

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Among the various Netflix talks at GDC 2025, Spry Fox co-founder Daniel Cook took to the stage to discuss game design philosophy and “kind games”.

With a new title Spirit Crossing on the way to Netflix subscribers, Cook discussed leveraging his experiences at Spry Fox developing games for vastly different player bases, taking those lessons and reapplying them in this “kind” context.

Past works like the 2021 life simulator Cozy Grove, for example, aimed to create a safe space where adults could engage in “longer, slower, emotional journeys”.

On the other hand, a decade earlier Spry Fox developed the MMO Realm of the Mad God, which was instead played by many “angry” teenage boys. One of the studio’s missions here was to “get people that have a tendency to be toxic to cooperate and work together”.

These “threads” from Spry Fox’s catalogue have now accumulated into the lessons behind Spirit Crossing, a cooperative MMO and life sim where players will explore the wilderness, build and nurture their village of 1,000 people and, ideally, make new friends.

Authentic communities

“Can strangers actually come together in a positive way? Can we turn those strangers into friends?” Cook recalled asking himself, hoping to see players “authentically” connect.

“Looking back on multiplayer games and toxicity, I really got to thinking about ‘kind games’. What if there’s a place where you could bring people together and they could experience kindness? What does that look like – how do we develop a game like that?”

The Seattle-based developer, acquired by Netflix in 2022, had also been considering ways to make a game that would reach a broad audience and be a “home” for people who may play for years. At the same time, Cook wanted that game to be one that “actually matters”.

“I really get excited about game design and how we can push games forward – how do we make games that change the world, that advance the way that we think about games.”

The result, Spirit Crossing, took inspiration from Studio Ghibli, French comics and more, aiming for a timeless style with a sense of familiarity. At the same time, an in-game calendar will aim to provide a sense of progression, such as trees planted taking three to six real-world months to grow into an orchard which can then be harvested.

By giving players the tools to develop their in-game village and build rapport with other players, Cook hopes that they will form a real sense of community.

Also at GDC, Netflix Games president Alain Tascan and vice president of games technology and portfolio development Jeet Shroff discussed what’s next for the streaming services’ games platform.