Over the past couple of months, NetEase has been undergoing a massive restructructuring, resulting in layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. Amidst all the organizational changes, Quantic Dream CEO Guillaume de Fondaumièr has taken to social media to assure fans and developers that the studio remains unaffected.
"We were deeply saddened to learn about the recent layoffs and studio closures affecting some of the NetEase group’s divisions. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted, and we sincerely hope that they quickly find new opportunities," Fondaumièr wrote on LinkedIn.
"David Cage and I would like to express our gratitude to the fans and friends who have reached out to us in recent days regarding QUANTIC DREAM. We want to reassure everyone that our studios in Paris and Montreal remain unaffected. We are continuing to develop our projects at full pace, with several open positions available in both locations," the post continued.
Founded in 1997, Quantic Dream is best known for its narrative-driven adventure games and interactive storytelling, including Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human. NetEase acquired a minority stake in the company back in 2019. According to Fondaumièr, NetEase "has been a dedicated partner, providing us with creative freedom and the financial resources necessary for our studio to grow and strive." Quantic Dream became a wholly owned subsidiary of NetEase in 2022.
Fondaumièr also revealed that 2024 marked the highest revenue in Quantic Dream's history thanks, in large part, to the "exceptional performance" of the studio's back-catalogue titles. "Notably, Detroit: Become Human reached 11 million units in global sales across PlayStation and PC last year, a remarkable 2 million increase year-on-year, demonstrating the lasting appeal and quality of our titles," Fondaumièr noted.
Currently, Quantic Dream is working on Star Wars Eclipse, a new action-adventure, multiple-character branching narrative game set in the High Republic era of the Star Wars galaxy. Star Wars Eclipse was first announced at The Game Awards in 2021. A teaser cinematic trailer and some brief gameplay overview details were shared at the time, but not much has been revealed since then.
The lack of announcements for Star Wars Eclipse coupled with the restructuring and layoffs at NetEase have resulted in speculation that Quantic Dream could be the next studio impacted by organizational shifts.
Fondaumièr assured, "The developments of our current projects are progressing as planned, and we are fully committed to delivering and launching these innovative, high-quality titles in the future."
Star Wars Eclipse doesn't yet have a release date, but industry analysts believe it won't arrive until 2027 at the earliest. Its lengthy development timeline has been attributed to the studio's inability to attract staff due to its poor workplace reputation.