Those who remained were asked to pick up the slack, as leadership apparently mandated overtime to help the project over the finish line. However, a studio spokesperson told IGN that development is “continuing as planned” with the team’s “full commitment” and “all the necessary resources.”

“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.

“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.”

First announced in December 2021, reports quickly emerged about the project being three to four years out from launch. Other rumors claimed it had already been in development for 18 months and still lacked a playable build. Quantic Dream would eventually counter reports of delays by stating that it never announced a release date (which is technically correct).

However, it seems things have only barely improved over the years. Fresh rumors claimed that the project was “years off” from completion and currently in “development hell.” Quantic Dream was apparently counting on Spellcasters Chronicles to help fund it. With that possibility out of the window, it remains to be seen if the studio will even remain with NetEase, which has seemingly remained neutral to the current strike.

Speaking to Gamekult, the team behind the title believes that they’re “absolutely essential” to the project and that it “literally cannot be finished” without them. If not retained, those remaining will have to crunch to make up for the loss (overtime reportedly went into effect for Eclipse hours after the announcement of layoffs).

“We believe that, as things stand, the game simply cannot be completed if the layoff plan is implemented as currently proposed,” said one developer.

Together with STJV union, the studio is holding a protest on the same day that a Lucasfilm delegation is set to visit. Its long-term goal is to meet NetEase Games executives (who have apparently remained hands-off throughout) to put pressure on Quantic Dream leadership. The latter is reportedly pushing back against this while also claiming that failure to return to work could lead to Eclipse’s cancellation and the studio facing bankruptcy.

As for why there’s been little to no communication on the title – announced in December 2021 at The Game Awards – it’s apparently due to “multiple delays and massive disorganization.” Negotiations are still ongoing, so stay tuned for updates. Unfortunately, the situation with Quantic Dream and the recent layoffs at Bungie is only a taste of what’s still to come.

While discussing the titles that could appear at the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase, he said, “Yeah, it ain’t going well. Quantic Dream..They want to get out from under NetEase. They want to divest from Quantic Dream. I’m not going to be surprised if Quantic Dream is sold by the end of the year…like, ‘Hey, we’re selling or whatever by end of the year or sometime in 2027.’

“It’s not going well. Like, it is not going well at all. And there’s frustration. There’s a lot of frustration about it. So I would not expect that. If they did anything, it would be a ‘We’re still here.'”

Straw reiterated that Quantic Dream was reportedly riding on Spellcasters Chronicles providing funding for Eclipse to help push it across the finish line. Obviously, that didn’t happen with servers planned to shut down on June 19th. It stings all the more considering that the free-to-play 3v3 title reportedly took eight years to develop.

And if that wasn’t enough, the developer is undergoing an “internal reorganization,” which could result in layoffs for up to 95 employees. Given that it’s still early, Quantic Dream couldn’t comment on the severity.

While Star Wars Eclipse could receive a cinematic trailer at, say, Summer Game Fest or the Xbox Games Showcase, reports that it’s still “years off” from completion apparently remain true.

Suffice to say that between this and Knights of the Old Republic – Remake, it’s a tough time to be a fan of narrative-focused Star Wars games. Fortunately, it seems that Arcanaut Studios’ Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is making positive progress, with project lead Casey Hudson promising it would launch before 2030. He also noted that it wouldn’t be 200 hours long or feature generative AI in any form.

“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.

Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw reported via Insider Gaming Weekly that it’s been “very slow going,” with one source claiming “very little progress over months.” Another source reportedly said back in December that “The game, at this stage, is still looking to be years off from completion.”

It doesn’t necessarily mean that nothing has been made, as a “good portion” of the title is reportedly complete. But in the games industry, a scary amount of work goes into that final stretch, and Quantic Dream is allegedly lagging in that regard.

While the company reportedly discussed expanding its team, NetEase Games is apparently not interested (which would be in line with its divestment of various external studios, including Nagoshi Studio). Apparently, there’s some hope that revenue from Spellcasters Chronicles, the free-to-play competitive multiplayer that launched in Steam early access to a “Mixed” rating, will help.

“At this stage, the long-term outlook is less driven by creative capabilities and more by financial viability. Should Spellcasters fail commercially, NetEase is expected to reevaluate its commitment to the studio and could opt to discontinue further investment.” Unfortunately, with a lifetime peak of 888 concurrent players on Steam and only 86 in the past 24 hours, it seems that Spellcasters won’t be the savior that Quantic Dream is expecting.

As for Star Wars Eclipse, we’ll have to do what we’ve always done for more than four years – wait for more details. At least there’s concept art for some of the characters floating out there.

Unfortunately, Cage only provided a single line on its status. “Of course, development of Star Wars: Eclipse continues, and we are eager to share more with you in the future.” When and where remains to be seen, as usual.

The last official update from the studio was at Tokyo Game Show 2023, when Lisa Pende, Quantic Dream’s VP of marketing, said, “Can I say it still exists? Because it exists. It’s just not ready. It’s simmering.” Lead writer Adam Williams would depart the studio in 2024, and character concept art leaked earlier this year, showcasing a Rodian, Gungan, and Zenezian.

Platforms for Star Wars Eclipse have yet to be announced, so stay tuned for more updates. All we know is that it’s an action-adventure game set in the High Republic Era as players venture to the dangerous Outer Rim. Multiple characters are playable, and there’s even a branching narrative alongside a new species.

From the portfolio of one of the artists that has previously worked on Star Wars Eclipse, there are a total of 13 images. Each image comes with a filename that indicates that kind of character that the art was created for. There is concept art for a Gungan character, a Zenezian character, and a Rodian character. There are also a few pieces that have simply been titled Smuggler 1 and Smuggler 2. Interestingly, two of the concept art pieces have been named after specific characters.

The two characters, going by the concept art, are Travis and Jotraaaz Kammzzzek. The names, easily falling in line with other strange and alien-sounding names from throughout the Star Wars universe, would indicate that these two characters will play a more important role in the title’s narrative. The others, on the other hand, might be one-off NPCs that the player might get to only interact with one or two times.

It is worth noting that concept art for a game is typically created in very early stages of its development. This means that these images might also be quite updated, since games often go through many changes over the course of their development.

Quantic Dream has generally continued its silence when it comes to progress on the development of Star Wars Eclipse. However, back in February, studio CEO and head of publishing Guillaume de Fondaumière mentioned that Quantic Dream was unaffected by the studio closures that were going on at the time of various studios under NetEase. For context, NetEase announced its acquisition of Quantic Dream back in 2022.

“[Quantic president] David Cage and I would like to express our gratitude to the fans and friends who have reached out to us in recent days regarding Quantic Dream,” de Fondaumière wrote at the time. “We want to reassure everyone that our studios in Paris and Montreal remain unaffected. We are continuing to develop our projects at full pace, with several open positions available in both locations.”

Development of Star Wars Eclipse has also seemingly been a troubled one. Back in August 2024, lead writer Adam Williams had announced his departure from Quantic Dream. In his announcement, he revealed that he would be founding his own studio.

“After almost 10 years at Quantic Dream, I am leaving to found a new studio – together with a group of very talented designers and developers,” Williams wrote. “We can’t say too much just yet. We are working on something very innovative, very special and, for now, very secret. More on that soon.”

Star Wars Eclipse was announced all the way back in 2021. The game is in development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Star Wars Eclipse’s lead writer, Adam Williams, is leaving Quantic Dream. Spotted by The Gamer, Williams announced the new on his LinkedIn page, where he also confirmed that he’s founding an entirely new studio “with a group of very talented designers and developers” that we’ll be hearing more about “soon”.

“After almost 10 years at Quantic Dream, I am leaving to found a new studio – together with a group of very talented designers and developers,” Williams wrote. “We can’t say too much just yet. We are working on something very innovative, very special and, for now, very secret. More on that soon.

“I’ve already been in touch with many of you guys at Quantic Dream and Lucasfilm, to thank you for everything on Detroit and Eclipse. It’s been a great adventure.

“A big thank you to the team, for taking this leap with us – and to the investors, for being the ideal partners on the next adventure. More on that, also, soon.”

Williams was at Quantic Dream for nearly a decade. Joining in 2015, he worked as the lead writer on Detroit: Become Human, the same role that he was serving on Star Wars Eclipse.

Williams’ departure doesn’t necessarily give much away about how the game’s development is going – people change jobs all the time, especially in the games industry – but if past reports are to be believed, the game hasn’t been in the best of shape.

Shortly after it was announced in December 2021, it was reported that the game had been in development for roughly a year and a half at the time, but was still not in a playable state. Later reports claimed that it might not release until 2027 or 2028. Quantic Dream’s VP of Marketing Lisa Pendse provided a brief update on the project last September, stating that though it wasn’t ready to be shown off, it was “simmering” behind-the-scenes.

Announced in 2021 at The Game Awards, Quantic Dream’s action-adventure title was rumored to have faced development issues. While the developer insisted it wasn’t delayed, since no release window was announced, it was recently rumored to release as late as 2026, with the potential for further delays. So, what’s going on?

Speaking to IGN at Tokyo Game Show 2023, Quantic Dream VP of Marketing Lisa Pendse confirmed it “exists.” “Can I say it still exists? Because it exists. It’s just not ready. It’s simmering.”

It doesn’t sound like much, but Pendse further noted, “One of the big focuses we’ve had when we announced Star Wars Eclipse was to make sure it was clear that this is an action-adventure game that has all of the elements that you would come to expect and want from a Quantic Dream title, which is intricately branching narratives, multiple playable characters.

“There’s no game over. Anyone can die, anything can happen, and the story sort of continues so that those signatures are still there. But what we’ve been doing is even more ramping up our expertise in the gameplay arena.”

While there’s still no release window, Pendse says that working with NetEase (which acquired Quantic Dream in 2022) means not having release dates imposed on the team. “Quantic Dream has always released games when they’re ready, and I think the high level of quality you get when you buy a Quantic Dream game is a testament to the value of that approach.

“And it’s the same thing with Star Wars Eclipse. So you will know, but it’s too early right now to give any update on it.”

Though rumors claimed a likely release in 2027-2028, sources speaking to Insider Gaming – which also reported on NetEase acquiring Quantic Dream – revealed that it’s targeting a 2026 release. However, it could be further out. The studio reportedly continues to have issues with hiring due to allegations of workplace abuse.

The project’s scope could also mean it’s pushed further than 2026. As always, time will tell, but as Quantic Dream noted last year, there have been no delays since a launch window was never officially announced. A spokesperson also said that recruiting “remains active” as the studio “works on Star Wars Eclipse, third-party publishing, and unannounced projects.” Platforms for the title still haven’t been announced.