Troy Baker's cyberpunk open-world game, Last Sentinel, has been mired in development issues at Tencent's Lightspeed LA studio for six years, with reports detailing ongoing struggles and a recent round of layoffs.
Lightspeed LA, owned by Tencent, first revealed Last Sentinel in 2023 as an ambitious AAA open-world title. Despite early involvement from Troy Baker as performance director, the project has experienced prolonged silence and significant development hurdles. In late July, Lightspeed LA confirmed layoffs, citing a shift in direction for Last Sentinel following extensive internal reviews and play-testing.
A report from Bloomberg has shed light on the project's troubled history. The Japan-set dystopian open-world game was internally viewed at Tencent as a direct competitor to Grand Theft Auto, but its complexity proved challenging for the newly established Lightspeed LA. The studio's leadership style was described as polarizing, and the team was considerably smaller than that of a game like Grand Theft Auto 6.
Over its six-year development cycle, Last Sentinel has faced multiple delays and missed internal deadlines, incurring substantial costs for Tencent. A playtest earlier this year reportedly yielded predominantly negative feedback, and an improved demo developed until July also failed to impress Tencent executives. This led to the layoff of 80 developers at Lightspeed LA.
While the studio's official statement maintains that Last Sentinel is still in development with adjustments to its creative and development direction, the exact path forward remains uncertain. It appears unlikely to retain its original vision as a Grand Theft Auto-style open-world sandbox. Consequently, Lightspeed LA has not provided a release window for the revised version of Last Sentinel.