Napster Abandons $164M Fort Lauderdale Movie Studio Project, Returns to Original Developer

Artificial intelligence and digital media firm Napster, previously known as Infinite Reality, has abandoned its plans for a $164 million headquarters and movie studio campus in Fort Lauderdale. The project, which has been in development for four years on a 61-acre site at 1400 NW 31st Ave, will now revert to its original developer, Fort Lauderdale Studio Initiative LLC, led by Michael Ullian.

Napster withdrew from the venture in December 2025, citing a shift in company priorities towards AI. The Fort Lauderdale City Commission has extended the project's deadline to the end of 2027, with options for further extensions if construction progresses. The site, formerly the Wingate Road incinerator and designated a Superfund site in 1989, was leased from the city for $1 annually over 50 years.

Initially approved in September 2022, the project envisioned four large soundstages, production offices, a film school, and retail space. Infinite Reality had partnered with Fort Lauderdale Studio Initiative in 2024 and later brought in Sterling Bay as a co-developer in April 2025, with plans for over 100,000 square feet of office space and more than 1,000 jobs. The future of the comprehensive studio complex, including a potential new tenant, remains uncertain following Napster's departure.