Following the decision of NetEase CEO William Ding to pull out of several investments made across North America, Europe, and Japan, Quantic Dream fans were fearful about the studio's prospects. After all, the Paris-based developer was acquired for €100 million in February 2023. However, CEO and Head of Publishing Guillaume de Fondaumière reassured them with a lengthy post shared on LinkedIn: the studio is unaffected.
We were deeply saddened to learn about the recent layoffs and studio closures affecting some of the NetEase group’s divisions. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted, and we sincerely hope that they quickly find new opportunities.
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. We are continuing to develop our projects at full pace, with several open positions available in both locations (please visit https://lnkd.in/e_AJFbUa for more details).
Founded 28 years ago, QUANTIC DREAM remains committed to the strategy outlined by David and I in 2019, when NetEase initially acquired a minority stake in our company. Over the past six years, NetEase has been a dedicated partner, providing us with creative freedom and the financial resources necessary for our studio to grow and strive. In 2022, QUANTIC DREAM became a wholly owned subsidiary of NetEase, aligning with our shared vision for the future.
In 2024, we achieved the highest revenue in our history, driven by the exceptional performance of our back catalogue titles. Notably, Detroit: Become Human reached 11 million units in global sales across PlayStation and PC last year, a remarkable 2 million increase year-on-year, demonstrating the lasting appeal and quality of our titles. 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.
De Fondaumière's mention of multiple projects is interesting, as we only publicly know about Star Wars: Eclipse. Originally announced at The Game Awards 2021, the game is reportedly targeting a 2026 launch, although it could still be delayed further. Last we heard from Quantic Dream, the development was 'simmering' in September 2023. We also know that it will retain the studio's classic branching narrative while greatly expanding the gameplay with more action elements than in previous titles made by the developer.
