TL;DR
A new report alleges that Quantic Dream's highly anticipated Star Wars Eclipse is facing severe production turmoil, with staff going on strike over proposed layoffs. This matters now because the studio's internal crisis threatens to delay or derail one of the most expensive and high-profile Star Wars games ever announced, coming just months after the project was officially unveiled.
What Happened
Quantic Dream is reportedly in crisis as staff at the French studio have gone on strike over management's plan to lay off a significant portion of the development team working on Star Wars Eclipse. The work stoppage, first reported by IGN on Monday, June 29, 2026, has thrown the future of the ambitious open-world Star Wars title into serious doubt, with sources describing the project as being "in trouble."
Key Facts
- Quantic Dream staff have initiated a strike over proposed layoffs, according to a new report from IGN.
- The strike targets the development team working on Star Wars Eclipse, a game announced at The Game Awards in December 2024.
- The report alleges that management plans to cut a "significant number" of roles from the Eclipse team, though exact figures remain undisclosed.
- This marks the first major labor action at Quantic Dream since the studio was acquired by NetEase in August 2022 for an undisclosed sum.
- Star Wars Eclipse was described as a "narrative-driven, open-world" game set in the High Republic era, a period roughly 200 years before the Skywalker saga.
- The project is one of the most expensive video game productions currently in development, with estimated budgets exceeding $200 million.
- Quantic Dream has a history of workplace controversy, including allegations of a toxic "crunch" culture and sexual harassment claims that emerged in 2018.
Breaking It Down
The strike at Quantic Dream represents a dramatic reversal for a studio that has long positioned itself as an artistic auteur in the gaming industry. Founded in 1997 by David Cage, the studio built its reputation on cinematic, choice-driven narratives like Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human. But the shift to a massive open-world Star Wars project—a genre the studio has never attempted—has apparently created unsustainable production pressures.
According to multiple sources cited in the IGN report, staff were told that the layoffs were necessary because the project had "grown beyond its original scope" and that management had "miscalculated the resources required" for a game of this scale.
This admission is striking because Quantic Dream explicitly expanded its workforce after the NetEase acquisition, hiring hundreds of new developers specifically for Star Wars Eclipse. The studio grew from roughly 200 employees in 2022 to over 500 by early 2026, according to public LinkedIn data. That rapid hiring, followed by proposed layoffs, suggests fundamental mismanagement of the project's development pipeline. The strike itself is also notable because France's labor laws provide strong protections for workers, making a work stoppage a serious escalation. Under French law, strikes must be formally organized by union representatives, and the Syndicat des Travailleurs de l'Informatique (STI) has confirmed it is supporting the Quantic Dream workers. This legal framework means the strike cannot be easily dismissed or broken by management, potentially giving workers significant leverage.
The timing is particularly damaging. Star Wars Eclipse was one of the most anticipated reveals of 2024, generating massive hype for its promise of a "non-linear narrative" set in the High Republic era, a period Disney and Lucasfilm have heavily invested in across books, comics, and the The Acolyte TV series. Any delay to the game would ripple across Disney's broader Star Wars content calendar, which has already been criticized for inconsistent release schedules.
What Comes Next
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Formal negotiations between Quantic Dream management and union representatives are expected to begin within the next two weeks. The outcome will determine whether the strike escalates or is resolved. French labor law requires mediation before a strike can be deemed illegal, giving both sides a window to negotiate.
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NetEase will likely issue a public statement. As the parent company, NetEase has the final say on the layoff plan. The Chinese gaming giant has been tightening its portfolio in 2026, shutting down several underperforming mobile titles. A public relations crisis at a flagship Western studio could force NetEase to either overrule Quantic Dream management or publicly defend the cuts.
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Lucasfilm and Disney may begin contingency planning. If the strike continues into August 2026, expect Disney to make its first public comments about the game's status. Disney has a history of pulling licenses from troubled projects, as seen with the cancellation of Star Wars 1313 in 2013.
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A potential delay announcement for Star Wars Eclipse could come as early as September 2026, when Quantic Dream was expected to show a gameplay demo at the Tokyo Game Show. If that appearance is cancelled, it will be a clear signal that the project is in deep trouble.
The Bigger Picture
This crisis at Quantic Dream is part of two larger trends reshaping the video game industry. The first is the AAA Studio Contraction, where major developers that expanded aggressively during the pandemic-era boom (2020–2022) are now cutting staff as investment money dries up and development costs spiral. Microsoft laid off 1,900 staff from its gaming division in January 2024, Sony cut 900 jobs from its PlayStation Studios in February 2024, and Electronic Arts laid off 670 employees in March 2024. Quantic Dream's strike is the first time workers have fought back against these cuts with a formal labor action at this scale.
The second trend is the Rise of Unionization in Gaming, particularly in Europe. France has seen a wave of game worker organizing since 2023, with studios like Dontnod Entertainment and Ubisoft forming unions. The Quantic Dream strike could become a landmark case for whether collective action can actually halt or reverse layoffs in an industry that has treated them as inevitable. If the strike succeeds in preserving jobs, it will embolden workers at other studios facing similar cuts.
Key Takeaways
- [Production Crisis]: Quantic Dream's Star Wars Eclipse is facing a staff strike over proposed layoffs, threatening one of the most expensive Star Wars games ever made.
- [Labor Escalation]: This is the first major strike at a French AAA studio since the pandemic, leveraging strong local labor laws to challenge management's layoff plans.
- [Parent Company Pressure]: NetEase, the Chinese owner of Quantic Dream, must now decide whether to support management's cuts or intervene to protect its investment and reputation.
- [Ripple Effects]: Any delay to Star Wars Eclipse will impact Disney's High Republic media strategy and could lead to the game's cancellation if the strike persists.
