A French union group, STJV, is calling for a new strike against Quantic Dream as negotiations for the layoff of around 115 employees continue to stall. These cuts were reportedly prompted by the underperformance of the MOBA title Spellcasters Chronicles, which was released on Steam earlier this year.
The union has accused Quantic Dream, a subsidiary of NetEase, of offering subpar compensation packages for affected developers. According to a blog post by STJV on August 4, NetEase, a financially stable parent company, is capable of offering better severance. "But their constant quest for more stinginess leads to an absurd situation, in which the executives’ offer would be less than what our comrades won at Don’t Nod, a company with way less financial support. It is disgusting to end up in this situation. If Quantic Dream wants to destroy jobs, it must pay,” the union stated.
Don't Nod, another game studio, is also reportedly facing financial difficulties after the release of its sci-fi adventure game Aphelion. Reports indicate that Tencent, Don't Nod's primary backer, has ceased further funding, complicating the studio's financial outlook for the remainder of 2026. Despite these challenges, STJV claims that Don't Nod's laid-off workers received a more favorable deal than what is currently being offered by Quantic Dream, even with NetEase's backing.
Both Chinese conglomerates, NetEase and Tencent, have been scaling back their investments in the AAA gaming sector, leading to project cancellations and studio closures. The union has specifically targeted Quantic Dream's leadership, CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière and chief creative director David Cage, for criticism. STJV alleges that executives are attempting to prevent worker representatives from communicating with employees about the ongoing negotiations and are disseminating misinformation within the company.
"Over the past months, they never admitted to any of their failures, even the most obvious ones," the union claims. "On the contrary, David ‘Cage’ de Gruttola congratulated himself about how lucky the soon-to-be laid off workers were to work on the game, as if working around him was a great privilege. Is this how one respects those who create the value exploited by the company?”
Despite concerns that these layoffs might impact the development of Star Wars Eclipse, Quantic Dream has stated that the game's progress remains on schedule. A spokesperson for Quantic Dream told IGN in June, "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.” The game was initially revealed nearly five years ago.