Quantic Dream's upcoming narrative action-adventure game Star Wars Eclipse took a bit of a hit this week as the game's lead writer announced he was departing the project and company to start his own studio. Adam Williams, who also served as the lead writer on Detroit: Become Human before taking the same role with Star Wars Eclipse, announced his departure from Quantic Dream on LinkedIn.
"After almost 10 years at Quantic Dream, I am leaving to found a new studio – together with a group of very talented designers and developers," Williams wrote on LinkedIn. "We can’t say too much just yet. We are working on something very innovative, very special and, for now, very secret. More on that soon."
"I’ve already been in touch with many of you guys at Quantic Dream and Lucasfilm, to thank you for everything on Detroit and Eclipse. It’s been a great adventure," Williams continued. "A big thank you to the team, for taking this leap with us - and to the investors, for being the ideal partners on the next adventure. More on that, also, soon."
Star Wars Eclipse was announced back in December 2021 and we haven't had many updates on the game since then. Described as a "branching narrative action-adventure," Star Wars Eclipse is the first video game to be set in The High Republic Era. The game will feature an original story and unique characters, "each with their own paths, abilities, and roles to play in the tapestry of events that could alter the carefully balanced peace in an uncharted section of the Outer Rim."
Set during the High Republic era, Star Wars Eclipse™ is an intricately branching action-adventure game that can be experienced in many ways, and puts the destinies of multiple playable characters in your hands, created in collaboration between Quantic Dream and Lucasfilm Games.
On the game's website, Star Wars Eclipse teases the ability to play "as a diverse cast of charismatic characters, each with their own story, abilities, and role to play in the tapestry of events that could alter the carefully balanced peace of the Outer Rim."
"Every decision you make can have dramatic repercussions on your journey," the description continues. "The way of life in the Outer Rim is being threatened and you must define your path."
Quantic Dream are masters in developing narrative adventures with branching story paths. The developer's latest game, Detroit: Become Human, which was released in 2018, follows the stories of three androids with the player's choices affecting the course and outcome of each story.
In addition to Detroit: Become Human, Quantic Dream has also developed 2013's Beyond: Two Souls which starred Elliot Page in the lead role of Jodie, a young girl who possesses supernatural powers through her psychic link to an incorporeal entity named Aiden. The game also starred Willem Dafoe.
The game that really put Quantic Dream on the map though was 2010's Heavy Rain, an action-adventure featuring four protagonists involved with the mystery of the serial killer known as the Origami Killer.
Star Wars Eclipse still does not have a release date, and we haven't had any real update on the game's development status.