Striking developers at Quantic Dream have issued a stark warning, asserting that the studio's upcoming title, Star Wars Eclipse, "literally cannot be finished" if it proceeds with plans to lay off 115 employees. The concerns emerged following the studio's recent decision to close its MOBA-with-flying game, Spellcasters Chronicles, which had only launched in early access in February.
Quantic Dream had announced a subsequent "reorganisation" but maintained that development of Star Wars Eclipse, a High Republic-era Star Wars adventure revealed in 2021, would remain unaffected. However, developers have now taken to the picket line to "strongly alert management" that the team "absolutely need the 115 people who have been inactive for a month already."
One developer explained that the industrial action, which coincided with a visit from Lucasfilm Games, was intended not as sabotage but as an effort to save Star Wars Eclipse. "It's far from being an act of sabotage. On the contrary, we're trying to save Star Wars Eclipse," the developer stated, as translated. "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 that games will eventually be released. But it's impossible to run a sustainable industry like that."
Another developer added that, as things currently stand, the game is unlikely to be completed if the redundancy plan is implemented as scheduled. "We absolutely need the 115 people who have been inactive (or almost) for a month already. That's a whole month of lost production!" they emphasized. "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."