Quantic Dream Shares Safety Ensured For The Developer Amid Continued NetEase Layoffs

Chinese video game giant NetEase has slowly been consuming notable talent in Japan the past few years. In 2021, the firm announced its acquisition of Grasshopper Manufacture which included its talented studio head Goichi ‘Suda51’ Suda. And, 2022 was also faced with the forming of Nagoshi Studio: a new developer spearheaded by Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi.

Atop of that, NetEase has also been responsible for bringing one of the most recognized PlayStation developers into the market of multiplatform. After a stake investment in Quantic Dream, it resulted in hallmark PlayStation releases coming to PC – Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human. The studio was eventually acquired by NetEase in 2022.

Currently amid the ongoing restructuring for the video game conglomerate, there has been a notable amount of layoffs for the Chinese firm. From GameFile, NetEase in interested in selling off talent in the near future as part of this initiative. Part of a LinkedIn post, Quantic Dream CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière says the team is safe from the current changes at NetEase.

“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. […] In 2024, we achieved the highest revenue in our history, driven by the exceptional performance of our back-catalogue titles.”

Fondaumière also presses that work on its new titles – Star Wars: Eclipse being one – is coming along well internally. “We are continuing to develop our projects at full pace. […] 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.” Previously, the game was reported to aim for release in 2026. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you relieved Quantic Dream is structurally sound amid the changes under NetEase?

Source: LinkedIn