Quantic Dream Developers Warn of Serious Issues for Star Wars Eclipse Amid Ongoing Layoffs

Quantic Dream first unveiled Star Wars Eclipse years ago, but updates on the project have been scarce. Instead, the studio behind Detroit: Become Human launched a multiplayer MOBA called Spellcasters Chronicles, which is now facing shutdown. Recently, some developers at Quantic Dream staged a strike outside the office in response to layoffs, with one worker stating that the development of Star Wars Eclipse has encountered significant challenges, raising concerns about the possibility of cancellation.

“We believe that, as things stand, the game literally cannot be finished if the redundancy plan is implemented as currently scheduled,” said Théo, one of the striking employees. “We absolutely need the 115 people who have been inactive (or almost) for a month already. That’s a whole month of lost production! During that month, employees could have been trained on the specific tools of Star Wars Eclipse. We also want to strongly alert management and tell them to look at all these people who are eager to work but aren’t on the day of an official visit.”

The strike occurred this week, timed with a reported visit from Lucasfilm representatives to assess the game’s progress. The developers argue that Quantic Dream’s plan to lay off 115 staff members will further jeopardize the project. While the studio claims the layoffs mainly affect the team behind Spellcasters Chronicles, the workers contend that their skills are equally relevant to Star Wars Eclipse, which they believe requires more development resources, not fewer.

“It’s far from being an act of sabotage. On the contrary, we’re trying to save Star Wars Eclipse,” another developer, Jules, explained regarding the strike. “We could manage to release it with 115 additional people, and that wouldn’t be ‘overstaffed’: it’s what’s needed. We’re understaffed, like in many other companies in the sector, because bosses know very well that passion will lead people to crunch time and the games will eventually be released. But it’s impossible to run a sustainable industry like that.”

“Development of Star Wars: Eclipse continues, and we are eager to share more with you in the future,” director David Cage stated last fall, although some reports indicate the game may still be years away from completion.