Quantic Dream has announced that development on Spellcasters Chronicles, its free-to-play live service multiplayer title that entered early access three months ago, will be discontinued. Currently available on Steam, it has a 61 percent “Mixed” rating and a lifetime peak of 888 players, but nowadays, it can’t even reach 100 concurrent players.
“With Spellcasters Chronicles, Quantic Dream set out to propose a bold and original multiplayer experience. It gave our studio the opportunity to explore new creative territories and experiment with new concepts. However, in today’s particularly challenging market environment, we must acknowledge that the game, in its current form, has not reached a sufficient audience to ensure its long-term sustainability,” it revealed to IGN in a recent statement.
“We have consequently made the difficult decision to discontinue the development of Spellcasters Chronicles and to refocus our efforts on our other projects. This decision reflects a disciplined and responsible approach in light of current market conditions. It in no way diminishes the remarkable work accomplished by the teams involved. Their talent, creativity, and dedication have been essential in bringing this ambitious project to life, and we are proud of what has been achieved together.” It has yet to announce a shutdown date.
Quantic Dream is also undergoing an “internal reorganization.” “We are fully committed to ensuring that this transition is handled with fairness, care, and respect. Wherever possible, we will prioritize internal reassignments to support our other productions.” Layoffs usually occur in such scenarios, although the developer said it couldn’t comment on those affected due to the legal process in France and because it’s early days yet.
But hey, if it helps, it seems that Star Wars Eclipse “is not affected by this decision and continues as planned.” Announced in 2001 at The Game Awards, the narrative-focused title hasn’t received any gameplay or indication about when it could release.
It’s compounded by reports that Quantic Dream banked on Spellcasters Chronicles delivering some form of recurring revenue. Insider Gaming noted that failure could mean NetEase Games, which owns the studio, could “reevaluate its commitment” and “opt to discontinue further investment.”
Which certainly wouldn’t help Star Wars Eclipse since it’s allegedly “years off from completion,” even if a “good portion” of it is already complete, and Quantic Dream is reportedly hoping to expand the team for the final stretch. Could this potentially lead to the project’s cancellation if NetEase drops it – a situation that Nagoshi Studio’s Gang of Dragon is currently facing?
Time will tell, but it’s certainly a sad state for a studio that once prided itself on cinematic narrative titles with jaw-dropping production values.