Quantic Dream Responds to Closure Fears as NetEase Insists It 'Has Not Wavered in Its Global Expansion Plans'
Star Wars: Eclipse developer Quantic Dream has released a statement as reports circulate that Chinese megacorp NetEase was looking to sell off its overseas gaming businesses.
With mass layoffs, cancellations, and shutdowns for multiple years now, NetEase’s reported withdrawal from western video game development is concerning, particularly given a number of expensive and high-profile games have flopped in spite of high company expectations.
However, in a statement posted to LinkedIn, Quantic Dream CEO and head of publishing, Guillaume de Fondaumière, said he was “deeply saddened to learn about the recent layoffs and studio closures affecting some of the NetEase group’s divisions,” but assured players that Quantic’s studios in Paris and Montreal remain “unaffected.”
“[Quantic president] 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,” de Fondaumière wrote. “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.”
de Fondaumière added that despite NetEase acquiring Quantic Dream as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2022, “Quantic Dream remains committed to the strategy outlined by David and I in 2019,” insisting “NetEase has been a dedicated partner, providing us with creative freedom and the financial resources necessary for our studio to grow and strive.”
The CEO also revealed the studio’s back-catalog had seen an “exceptional performance,” contributing to the “highest revenue in [the company’s] history” in 2024.
“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 said, but did not provide any specific update on its upcoming Star Wars game, Star Wars: Eclipse.
In a statement to IGN, a rep from NetEase Games’ Global Public Relations Department said:
“As far as overseas business efforts are concerned, NetEase has not wavered in its global expansion plans. Our ‘two-pronged’ approach (combining self-research and investments to explore global markets), is still actively progressing and yielding positive results.
“For titles developed by the self-owned studios, we successfully launched games like Once Human and Marvel Rivals in 2024. These projects demonstrate NetEase’s ability, along with our talented development teams, to produce high-quality games loved by players worldwide. For 2025, we have an extensive pipeline of titles in development, featuring a variety of genres, including FragPunk, ANANTA and more.
“As part of our investment strategy, every decision was based purely on business evaluations and was not influenced by other factors. Our studios in North America, the UK, Spain, France, and Japan all continue to refine and develop their ongoing game projects.
“The company continues to invest in our global business and actively recruits and nurtures talent. At the same time, organizational structure changes aimed at improving performance are a necessary part of our ongoing growth.
“[CEO] Mr. Ding stated on the recent earnings call that NetEase is committed to supporting really high-quality studios and master creators. That is the company’s strategy, and there is no change in this plan. For any studio globally, it behooves us as a responsible commercial business to frequently evaluate the progress, viability and potential for success of our products and teams.”
When pressed for an update specifically regarding NetEase subsidiary studios Nagoshi Studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, Pincool, GPTRACK50, and Quantic Dream, the NetEase Games rep added:
“For the studios you specifically pointed out, I haven’t heard any changes so far. As planned, we are expecting to bring some of the titles to the public this year.”
In reference to the closure of Visions of Mana developer Ouka Studios, NetEase said: “It’s a self-owned studio, instead of a first-party or invested one. The studio’s challenging financial situation led to significant losses. We carefully considered every option under the circumstances and took the decision process very seriously.”
Just last week, we learned that despite netting 40 million players and securing millions for developer NetEase, Marvel Rivals was nearly canceled as Ding was reportedly reluctant to pay for the rights to use licensed IP. NetEase recently laid off the Marvel Rivals director and its Seattle-based design team.
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
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