Folks Can Fly, the Polish sport developer behind video games like Bulletstorm, Gears of Conflict: Judgment and Outriders, has cancelled two unannounced initiatives and mentioned it’s going to downsize its groups. The studio cited disagreements with the writer and inadequate funds to proceed manufacturing as causes behind the choice. Final yr, Folks Can Fly laid off over 150 workers in two rounds of job cuts.
Folks Can Fly Cancels 2 Video games
In a assertion shared on LinkedIn on Sunday, Folks Can Fly CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski confirmed that the studio was cancelling two video games — venture Gemini and venture Bifrost. The corporate had not beforehand shared particulars in regards to the two in-development video games.
“At present we made a really troublesome choice to droop the event of venture Gemini and venture Bifrost – the related present experiences have been launched to the market,” Wojciechowski mentioned within the assertion.
“The suspension of the Gemini venture is a consequence of the truth that the Writer has not introduced us with a draft of the following content material rider to the Publishing Settlement overlaying the phrases and circumstances of additional milestone on venture Gemini and the dearth of communication from the Writer as to its willingness to proceed or terminate the Gemini venture.
“Undertaking Bifrost was suspended because of the above and the evaluation of the Group’s money move, which confirmed an absence of prospects for securing organisational assets and funds essential to proceed the manufacturing and launch of this venture.”
The chief additionally instructed the cancellations would result in reorganisation and layoffs, however didn’t specify the variety of workers prone to be impacted.
“In consequence, now we have to considerably regroup as a studio and scale down our groups, which hurts probably the most,” Wojciechowski mentioned. “We want to specific our deepest remorse and unhappiness over how these occasions have unfolded and our honest gratitude for everybody’s contribution up thus far.”
Wojciechowski didn’t specify the unnamed writer within the assertion, however Folks Can Fly final labored with Sq. Enix on Outriders. The studio is at present engaged on a number of initiatives, together with Gears of Conflict: E-Day for Xbox Recreation Studios and a brand new sport based mostly on a Sony IP, codenamed venture Delta.
Layoffs in Video games business
Final yr, Folks Can Fly laid off over 150 workers in two rounds of retrenchment. In January 2024, the studio reportedly laid off over 30 workers. Later in December, Wojciechowski introduced the corporate was suspending manufacturing on certainly one of its initiatives and shedding over 120 employees.
The studio’s newest spherical of job cuts follows a wave of sport cancellations, studio shutdowns and layoffs within the online game business. Final week, Digital Arts cancelled its Black Panther sport and laid off an unspecified variety of workers throughout totally different groups, marking the third spherical of job cuts on the firm this yr.
In February, Warner Bros. shut down three of its sport studios, together with Monolith Productions, and cancelled its Surprise Girl sport that had spent years in growth.
