Quantic Dream Shuts Down Spellcasters Chronicles After Commercial Failure Leading To Staff Reductions And Clarification On The Future Of Star Wars Eclipse
Quantic Dream has announced they have cease development and live support for their multiplayer action game, Spellcasters Chronicles. The free to play game will be shutdown and its servers permanently deactivated on June 19th, after the game could not maintain a sustainable player base. The title was also removed from Steams search index on June 3rd, however the store page still remains accessible through direct web browser links. Quantic Dream stated that details on a full refund system will be sent to all players in the coming days for all purchases within the game.
This live service game debuted on Feb 26th into Early Access, meaning it had less than 4 months of live service time before its official shutting down. In an official statement from Quantic Dream, the studio detailed Spellcasters Chronicles as an "experimental" venture which "unfortunately has not reached the critical mass necessary to justify the resources required for its continued support." Following this commercial failure, the studio has implemented staff restructuring measures which includes staff reduction across the development team.
News of the cancellation immediately brought the future of the studios other ongoing projects into question. In a direct statement, Quantic Dream specifically declared that "The failure of this multiplayer game will not affect Star Wars Eclipse." This, however, is a departure from recent reports. Roughly a month ago, sources speaking to Insider Gaming reported that development pace and budget for Star Wars Eclipse was tied to the commercial success of Spellcasters Chronicles.
As the studio downsizes its workforce, questions remain as to how Quantic Dream will allocate their remaining resources. The quick shut down of this live service experience shows the inherent risks currently associated with live service development.
