The future of Star Wars Eclipse has come under fresh scrutiny after employees at Quantic Dream warned that the studio’s proposed layoffs could jeopardize development of the long-awaited Star Wars title. Workers participating in a strike outside the company’s Paris headquarters claim the current restructuring plan would leave the project without the staff needed to reach completion.
The protest, organized by the French video game workers’ union STJV, coincided with a reported visit from a Lucasfilm delegation reviewing the game’s progress. Employees said the timing was intended to draw attention to the impact the layoffs could have on one of Quantic Dream’s biggest projects. The claims come from an investigation by Gamekult, which interviewed several current employees participating in the strike.
Employees warn Star Wars Eclipse cannot be completed without affected staff
The most striking comments came from Quantic Dream employee Théo, who argued that the planned restructuring would directly affect the game’s development.
“We consider that as it stands, the game literally cannot be finished if the PSE as planned is executed.”
Théo said the 115 employees facing redundancy remain critical to the studio’s ability to finish the project.
“We absolutely need the 115 people who have been inactive (or almost) for a month already. It’s already a month lost in production! During this month, employees could have been trained in specific tools for Star Wars Eclipse.”
Another employee, Jules, dismissed any suggestion that the strike was intended to disrupt development.
“This is far from an act of sabotage. On the contrary, we are trying to save Star Wars Eclipse.”
Jules also argued that transferring developers from the cancelled Spellcasters Chronicles team would strengthen the project rather than create unnecessary staffing.
“We could manage to release it with 115 people as reinforcements, and that would not be ‘over-staffed’: that is what is necessary.”
Spellcasters Chronicles’ failure triggered the restructuring
The dispute follows the commercial failure of Spellcasters Chronicles, Quantic Dream’s multiplayer project that launched in February 2026 before ending support just a few months later. According to Gamekult, the game’s cancellation led to a restructuring plan affecting approximately 115 employees—around a quarter of the Paris studio’s workforce.
Many employees believe those developers should instead be reassigned to Star Wars Eclipse, which was first announced during The Game Awards 2021. Despite its cinematic reveal, the game has remained largely absent from public showcases, fueling years of speculation about its development progress.
Workers also claim overtime on Star Wars Eclipse began shortly after the restructuring process started, raising further concerns about the workload facing the remaining development team.
Employees criticize management and question NetEase’s role
Beyond the layoffs, employees described what they believe are longstanding management problems inside Quantic Dream.
Jules criticized what he called the studio’s decision-making structure.
“Here, it is the culture of verticality. All decisions are made at the top.”
He added that shifting creative direction often leads to discarded work, wasted development time, and burnout among staff.
Employees also questioned the role of Quantic Dream owner NetEase Games, claiming they have repeatedly asked for direct discussions with the publisher but have been denied.
Théo told Gamekult:
“We have already indicated that we want to discuss with NetEase… We explicitly asked that they be at the negotiating table… But they categorically refuse.”
While NetEase has not publicly commented on the dispute, the company has reduced investments and restructured several international game studios over the past two years, prompting speculation about its long-term priorities.
What happens next for Star Wars Eclipse?
The STJV union continues to challenge Quantic Dream’s restructuring plan, arguing it may violate French labor regulations because it allegedly targets employees assigned to a specific project rather than broader job categories.
Negotiations between management and employee representatives are expected to continue in the coming weeks. The outcome could prove significant for Star Wars Eclipse, one of the most anticipated Star Wars games currently in development.
At the time of publication, neither Quantic Dream nor NetEase had publicly responded to the allegations raised in Gamekult’s investigation. As a result, the employees’ statements remain unverified claims that have not yet received an official response from either company.
