Star Wars Eclipse developer Quantic Dream supplies exchange amidst NetEase cuts and closures

Quantic Dream, the NetEase-owned developer behind Heavy Rain, Detroit and the upcoming Star Wars Eclipse has broken its silence following the layoffs and shutdowns seen all through fairly a number of completely different NetEase-supported studios.

In a statement posted on LinkedIn, Quantic Dream CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière acknowledged the studio’s teams had not been impacted by NetEase’s dramatic cuts, and had been “persevering with to develop our duties at full tempo”.

Definitely, points are apparently rosy for the company, with de Fondaumière noting the developer observed its highest revenues in its 28-year historic previous all through 2024, pushed by “distinctive effectivity” of its once more catalogue of video video games – and 2018’s Detroit: Become Human significantly. The company shifted an additional 2m copies of Detroit all through PC and PlayStation ultimate 12 months, for a model new all-time full of 11m.

“We had been deeply saddened to check regarding the present layoffs and studio closures affecting various the NetEase group’s divisions,” de Fondaumière wrote. “Our concepts are with all people impacted, and we sincerely hope that they quickly uncover new options.

“[Company founder] David Cage and I need to particular our gratitude to the followers and buddies who’ve reached out to us in present days regarding Quantic Dream,” he continued. “We have to reassure all people that our studios in Paris and Montreal keep unaffected.”

Proper now’s assertion by de Fondaumière does not level out the company’s upcoming Star Wars Eclipse by establish, though the CEO did state that Quantic Dream was “persevering with to develop our duties at full tempo” with work “progressing as deliberate”.

“We’re completely devoted to delivering and launching these revolutionary, high-quality titles in the end,” de Fondaumière concluded, with out providing any additional factor on when additional data on Star Wars Eclipse – or something the company is engaged on – might come.

Announced to fanfare in 2021, Star Wars Eclipse at current lacks any type of launch window better than 4 years later. Updates have since been scarce. In October 2023, the studio decribed Star Wars Eclipse as “simmering”.

A similarly-worded statement in response to NetEase’s cuts was also posted on social media by Paul Ehreth, boss of the newly-founded NetEase-backed studio Anchor Stage Studios.

“Anchor Stage Studios has not been affected by any studio closures, and we’re nonetheless full steam ahead developing our recreation,” wrote Ehreth, who beforehand served as lead designer on Remedy’s Administration.

“Thus far, NetEase has been an incredible confederate for us, giving us creative administration and development assist, and we stay up for the prospect of transport an distinctive recreation collectively in the end.”

Nevertheless whereas Quantic Dream, Anchor Stage Studios and The Witcher 3 director’s Rebel Wolves have seemingly been given the inexperienced delicate by NetEase to now declare themselves safe, a swathe of various studios funded by the Chinese language language massive keep unaccounted for.

A present Sport File report, which feels favor it prompted proper now’s statements, listed an array of various NetEase corporations and acknowledged that the publisher was “actively shopping around more of its non-Chinese studios” in the hope they’d be sold.

These included GPTRACK50, Jackalyptic Video video games, Nagoshi, Pincool, Skybox Labs, Studio Flare, T-Minus Zero Leisure, and additional.

In response to that report, NetEase acknowledged that “all studios and duties are in mounted consider and evaluation, and NetEase will resolve modifications needed to be made all by that course of”.

NetEase began its cuts late ultimate 12 months, with layoffs and studio closures at Mass Effect veteran Mac Walters’ new studio Worlds Untold, Halo Infinite design boss Jerry Hook’s team at Jar of Sparks, and additional not too way back at Liquid Sword, the company founded by the creator of Just Cause.

Last week, NetEase stunned fans of hit brawler Marvel Rivals by culling US-based staff working on the successful project with the intention to “optimise development effectivity”.