Star Wars Eclipse Suffering From "Lack Of Resources, Vision, And Progress"

Every news story out of Star Wars Eclipse since it was announced at The Game Awards 2021 has gone something like this: 'The game is years away, we promise that it still exists, but nobody wants to work on it.' Despite hurtling into every scrap pile from here to the Outer Rim, insiders claim that Eclipse will launch by 2027 at the earliest. However, that might be an optimistic prediction—even six years after its reveal.

According to French outlet Gamekult (translated by DeepL), the project is "on the brink of collapse due to a lack of resources, vision, and progress." Worse yet, due to the failure of Quantic Dream's multiplayer MOBA that shut down earlier this month—Spellcasters Chronicles—management is reportedly planning to lay off the entire team of 115 people, who could otherwise help with the development of Star Wars Eclipse.

To put it bluntly, Quantic Dream has found itself in a Death Star trash compactor with the walls closing in, as a Lucasfilm delegation is due to review the progress of Star Wars Eclipse—which has reportedly stalled since 2022—while employees strike outside the Paris headquarters under one of the deadliest heatwaves in French history.

Poor Management, Understaffed, Burnout: Why Devs Think Star Wars Eclipse Might Never Leave Hyperspace

Those at the picket line tell Gamekult that they are "understaffed," being forced to work overtime to get the project off the ground. They argue that it's vital Quantic Dream keep at least some of the employees who worked on Spellcasters Chronicles if there's any hope of finishing Star Wars Eclipse. "We could manage to release it with 115 people on board," a developer called Jules said. "That wouldn't mean we were 'overstaffed' - it's what's needed."

The problems run much deeper than a lack of manpower, however. "It's a top-down culture. All decisions are made at the top," Jules explained. "You have no say in the matter. This then results in menial work for everyone, and very often. Either because management doesn't take the time to look at it and then tells you, a month later, that your work doesn't match their ideas—even though they never asked you for anything in the first place—or because they've changed their mind.

"On the one hand, they tell you that you're more than just a foot soldier and that you have the freedom to make decisions, but on the other, they make it clear that you're really just a foot soldier, since any decision that goes against management will be rejected," he continued. "It's extremely hard to cope with on a day-to-day basis because you never know where you stand. You're working for nothing. It's humiliating."

His colleague, Jordan, added that "it leads to burnout," only compounding the structural issues at Quantic Dream that have left Star Wars Eclipse crash landing onto Tatooine like a couple of unkempt droids. The team hopes that by protesting on the day that the Lucasfilm delegation visit, they'll make it abundantly clear that "the game literally cannot be finished if the redundancy plan, as currently proposed, goes ahead."

Is Quantic Dream's Redundancy Plan Illegal?

Video game workers union STJV argues that the current redundancies envisaged by management are illegal, as companies in France cannot simply fire a specific team because their project failed. Layoffs must be dictated by a company-wide point system, taking into account dependents, seniority, social situations, and professional skills. So, if Quantic Dream were to issue layoffs, it would have to look at the entire studio—Star Wars Eclipse devs included.

We've told them, time and time again, that targeting a specific project as part of a PSE (Employment Protection Plan) is clearly illegal and that the DREETS would never approve the plan as it stands. They told us they don't want to touch the Star Wars Eclipse team so as to not disrupt the project. But launching the redundancy plan has already disrupted the project in itself!

As such, the union is now demanding "that all planned terminations be canceled," "that the Spellcasters teams be reassigned to the production of Star Wars Eclipse," "for all workers to be re-categorized at a higher professional rank as is their due," and "that management and creative directors, solely responsible for this failure, resign immediately."

Quantic Dream can either continue with its plans to fire the entire Spellcasters Chronicles team, which an STJV representative argues would be rejected by DREETS (the regional labor authority)—leading to "months wasted" over negotiations—or it can work with the union to mitigate the damage. Either way, as Lucasfilm steps through the doors of the Paris studio, one thing is certain: Star Wars Eclipse remains in a galaxy far, far away.