Key Takeaways
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- Internal strife and layoffs at Quantic Dream could impact the development of Star Wars Eclipse, with employees reporting chronic resource shortages, organizational challenges, and insufficient staffing.
- Employees have gone on strike to protest the proposed layoff of 115 employees, which they believe could jeopardize the progress of Star Wars Eclipse.
- The work environment at Quantic Dream is criticized for its top-down organizational structure and frequent shifts in priorities, leading to declining morale.
- Questions have arisen regarding the role of NetEase, Quantic Dreams owner, in decision-making processes, with employees expressing concerns about a lack of dialogue and potential legal issues related to the layoff plan.
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Quantic Dream, the studio behind the highly anticipated game Star Wars Eclipse, is currently navigating a significant crisis. This situation follows the commercial underperformance of Spellcasters Chronicles, which prompted the studio to initiate a large-scale restructuring. An investigation by Gamekult has revealed considerable internal tension, with employees expressing concerns about the future of Star Wars Eclipse. Several Quantic Dream employees, speaking anonymously to Gamekult and mobilized by the Video Game Workers Union (STJV), have described difficulties within the development teams. A central issue is a proposed layoff of 115 employees, a direct consequence of Spellcasters Chronicles’ commercial failure. However, according to these testimonies, the impact of these layoffs could extend to Star Wars Eclipse, potentially jeopardizing its development. Despite recent assurances that the project was progressing well, the current climate suggests otherwise. Employees report that Star Wars Eclipse is suffering from chronic resource shortages, organizational challenges, and insufficient staffing. To protest the impending layoffs and their potential impact on Star Wars Eclipse, developers have gone on strike. Two developers, identified as Theo and Jules, suggested that reassigning the 115 employees slated for layoffs to the Star Wars Eclipse team could accelerate its progress, implying the game is far from completion.
Internal Strife and Layoffs Threaten Star Wars Eclipse at Quantic Dream under NetEase Ownership
The strike action coincided with a planned visit from a Lucasfilm delegation, intended to assess the progress of Star Wars Eclipse. For the employees, this visit presented an opportunity to voice their demands and highlight the risks the proposed layoffs pose to the project. Testimonies gathered by Gamekult depict a challenging internal environment. Employees criticize a top-down organizational structure where decisions are concentrated with management, leading to frequent shifts in priorities, abandoned work, and declining morale. Questions have also arisen regarding the role of NetEase, Quantic Dream’s owner since 2022. Employees report that management cites decisions from the Chinese group without fostering genuine dialogue, and the STJV regrets that NetEase is not directly involved in discussions about the social plan. The union further disputes the legality of the layoff plan, arguing that it targets the Spellcasters Chronicles teams specifically, which may contravene French regulations on job preservation. The mobilization at Quantic Dream occurs during a difficult period for the French video game industry, which has seen numerous restructurings and studio closures recently. Quantic Dream has not yet officially commented on Gamekult’s findings or the employees’ demands. Negotiations between management and staff representatives are expected to continue in the coming days.
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