French studio Quantic Dream faces a critical moment as it weighs laying off roughly a quarter of its workforce following the collapse of its live-service game Spellcasters Chronicles. The proposed cuts threaten the future of Star Wars Eclipse, the long-gestating action-adventure title that has become the studio's flagship project.
Spellcasters Chronicles shut down just three months after entering early access last month. The studio immediately signaled that staff reductions would follow, though it declined to specify how many positions would be eliminated. Quantic Dream publicly maintained at the time that Eclipse development "is not affected by this decision and continues as planned." That reassurance, however, appears at odds with current reality on the ground.
According to reporting from French gaming outlet gamekult, Eclipse is struggling with "a lack of resources, vision, and progress." The project remains without a release window nearly five years after its 2021 announcement via a cinematic reveal. The studio has offered only occasional public statements about the game over the intervening years, mostly to combat rumors of serious development trouble and hiring challenges stemming from workplace allegations the studio faced in prior years.
Facing the prospect of losing their jobs, workers at Quantic Dream have organized through the STJV union and staged a strike at the studio's Paris headquarters. Their central argument: cutting roughly 115 employees would cripple the ability to complete Eclipse. The striking staff contend that developers slated for termination will be essential to shepherd the Star Wars project to completion without forcing the remaining team into unsustainable crunch conditions.
The timing of the labor action carries added weight. On June 25, the day of the strike, a delegation from Lucasfilm was scheduled to visit Quantic Dream to assess Eclipse's progress. Workers viewed the visit as an opportunity to send an unmistakable signal about the project's vulnerability under the proposed staffing cuts. As gamekult reported, employees fear Eclipse faces the same risk of cancellation that felled other projects tied to NetEase, the Chinese parent company that acquired Quantic Dream as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2022.
That concern carries historical weight. Earlier this year, NetEase cut funding to a studio run by Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi. The developer's project, Gang of Dragon, has since been shelved. NetEase has been consolidating its gaming operations and reducing its development footprint.
Quantic Dream's leadership has worked to project stability despite the turbulence. CEO and publishing head Guillaume de Fondaumière issued a statement last year assuring players and staff that the Paris and Montreal studios remained secure even as NetEase undertook broader restructuring. He highlighted the company's best year on record in 2024 revenue and characterized the Chinese parent as a "dedicated partner" providing "creative freedom and the financial resources necessary for our studio to grow and strive."
Yet de Fondaumière's carefully worded optimism notably omitted any specific commentary on Star Wars Eclipse, a striking silence given the project's prominence in the studio's long-term plans. The union, meanwhile, is pushing for a formal majority agreement that would reduce the number of layoffs and preserve team continuity needed to move Eclipse forward. Those negotiations remain ongoing.
For Lucasfilm, the situation represents a delicate test of its partnership with the studio. Quantic Dream built its reputation on narrative-driven single-player experiences like Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human. A Star Wars game bearing those creative hallmarks could represent a significant entry in the franchise, but only if the studio retains sufficient staff and resources to realize it.
Author Emily Chen: "The irony is sharp: Quantic Dream killed a live-service game to refocus, but now the layoffs threaten the blockbuster project supposed to justify that decision. Eclipse cannot survive aggressive staffing cuts if Lucasfilm actually expects this game to ship."
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