Quantic Dream has insisted that its upcoming Star Wars: Eclipse is on course despite studio layoffs and claims from striking staff that a larger workforce is needed to help complete the game.
Last month, Quantic Dream canceled its live service game, Spellcasters Chronicles, just three months after its early access launch. The studio best known for successful single-player story-driven games, such as Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human, said the Spellcasters Chronicles cancellation would result in layoffs, although it has yet to say how many are affected.
At the time of the cancelation, Quantic Dream insisted the development of Star Wars Eclipse would continue as “normal.” But according to French website gamekult, Eclipse is suffering from “a lack of resources, vision, and progress,” and could be canceled unless members of the Spellcasters Chronicles team are moved over to help finish the project.
Gamekult said Quantic Dream is reportedly considering laying off 115 staff — said to amount to a quarter of the company’s workforce — following the cancelation of Spellcasters Chronicles, which itself sparked a strike organized by the STJV union that took place in front of the studio’s Paris headquarters. Gamekult said striking staff are trying to save Star Wars Eclipse. They believe at least some of the Spellcasters Chronicles developers who are set to lose their jobs will be needed to make Star Wars Eclipse a reality without enduring crunch.
Apparently, on the day of the strike (June 25), a delegation from Lucasfilm was due to visit Quantic Dream to check the progress of Star Wars Eclipse. The striking staff wanted to send a clear message: as things stand, Eclipse cannot be finished if the redundancy plan goes through, or, as gamekult put it: “saving the company from a very painful cancellation, which currently hangs like a sword of Damocles over the employees.”
Now, Quantic Dream has issued IGN a fresh statement insisting the Star Wars Eclipse team has all it needs to finish the game.
“As previously stated, the development of Star Wars Eclipse remains unaffected by the recent closure of Spellcasters Chronicles, a decision driven by the challenging market conditions in that segment,” a Quantic Dream spokesperson said.
“The development of Star Wars Eclipse is continuing as planned, with the full commitment of its team and all the necessary resources to complete its mission.
“Our priority is to ensure that employees affected by the restructuring process receive the appropriate support, care, and consideration. Out of respect for this ongoing process and for the employees concerned, we will not provide any further comment at this stage.”
We will continue to monitor the situation and share any updates on the development of Star Wars: Eclipse.
