Quantic Dream Workers Warn 115 Layoffs Could Doom Star Wars Eclipse

Quantic Dream employees have staged a strike outside the company’s Paris headquarters in an attempt to protect as many as 115 jobs and warn that the planned cuts could prevent Star Wars Eclipse from reaching completion. The industrial action followed the rapid collapse of Spellcasters Chronicles, Quantic Dream’s first competitive multiplayer project, which entered Early Access on February 26, 2026, before development was discontinued on May 20 and its servers were closed on June 19.

The STJV union says the proposed redundancy plan threatens approximately 25% of Quantic Dream’s workforce in France. Employees argue that the company is targeting workers connected to Spellcasters Chronicles instead of seriously considering how their production, design, engineering, and artistic experience could be transferred to Star Wars Eclipse.

Speaking with Gamekult, a developer identified as Jules rejected the suggestion that the strike was intended to disrupt production. Instead, workers believe retaining and retraining the affected team could give Quantic Dream the additional capacity required to complete its ambitious Star Wars project without forcing remaining employees into extended overtime and unsustainable crunch.

"On the contrary, we are trying to save Star Wars Eclipse."
— Jules

Another employee identified as Théo claimed that Star Wars Eclipse cannot be completed if the current redundancy plan moves forward. Workers say many employees from the Spellcasters Chronicles team have spent approximately 1 month with limited work, despite being available for training and reassignment. They argue that this time could have been used to introduce those employees to the tools and production requirements of Star Wars Eclipse.

The strike took place on June 25, during what Gamekult reported was a planned visit from Lucasfilm representatives to review the progress of Star Wars Eclipse. The timing gave employees an opportunity to communicate their concerns while the company’s major licensing partner was present. Lucasfilm has not publicly commented on the strike, the proposed layoffs, or the current production condition of the game.

Quantic Dream has presented a different official position. When announcing the end of Spellcasters Chronicles, the studio said it would prioritize internal transfers wherever possible and insisted that its larger licensed project would continue according to plan.

"The development of Star Wars Eclipse is not affected by this decision and continues as planned."
— Quantic Dream

That statement now conflicts directly with the assessment provided by striking developers. The workers claim the studio is already understaffed and that removing another 115 employees would increase production risk, while management maintains that the restructuring can proceed without affecting the project. Quantic Dream has not revealed a release window, platforms, gameplay footage, or a detailed development update since Star Wars Eclipse was announced at The Game Awards in December 2021.

The official Star Wars Eclipse website describes the project as an action adventure game with several playable characters and branching narratives. It is set during the High Republic era and is being developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. The original announcement described the game as being in early development, and no confirmed release year has been provided.

NetEase acquired Quantic Dream in August 2022 after first purchasing a minority position in 2019. The official acquisition value was not disclosed. NetEase originally said the French studio would continue operating independently while gaining access to additional development resources. More recent reports have claimed that NetEase could be considering a sale of the studio, but neither NetEase nor Quantic Dream has confirmed that possibility.

The current crisis represents a major reversal from the position communicated during earlier NetEase restructuring concerns. Quantic Dream’s assurances that its Paris and Montreal operations were unaffected, with management stating that its projects were moving forward at full pace. The proposed layoffs and employee warnings now raise serious questions about whether those assurances remain accurate. Star Wars Eclipse has already spent more than 4 years without a substantial public update. The dispute does not prove that the game will be cancelled, but it places its development under more pressure at a time when the project already faces questions about staffing, production progress, financing, and long term ownership.

The central issue is not simply whether Quantic Dream can reduce its workforce and continue operating. It is whether the company can complete one of its most ambitious games after removing 115 people who could potentially be reassigned to support production.

Management may believe that the Spellcasters Chronicles team lacks the specialized experience needed for Star Wars Eclipse, but training experienced developers is likely more realistic than recruiting and integrating an entirely new workforce later. Cutting employees now could reduce immediate costs while creating larger production problems as Eclipse moves toward more demanding stages of development.

The contradiction between management and workers also cannot be ignored. Quantic Dream says Eclipse remains unaffected, while developers working inside the studio say the project cannot be finished under the current plan. Until the company provides a credible production update, the employee assessment deserves serious attention.

Should Quantic Dream reassign the 115 affected employees to Star Wars Eclipse, or are the layoffs unavoidable after the failure of Spellcasters Chronicles?