Sebastian Wojciechowski, Folks Can Fly CEO, shared some disheartening information in an announcement on LinkedIn on Sunday. Not solely is the studio indefinitely suspending two video games it had in improvement, additionally it is cutting down its employees. Each are the results of negotiations with a writer falling via and an absence of sufficient sources and funding to proceed the initiatives, codenamed Gemini and Bifrost.
As Wojciechowski detailed within the announcement, “The suspension of the Gemini undertaking 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 masking the phrases and circumstances of additional milestones on undertaking Gemini and the dearth of communication from the Writer as to its willingness to proceed or terminate the Gemini undertaking.”
“Mission Bifrost was suspended because of the above and the evaluation of the Group’s money circulate, which confirmed an absence of prospects for securing organizational sources and funds essential to proceed the manufacturing and launch of this undertaking.”
That is a mouthful, however in layman’s phrases: Wojciechowski is significantly laying into Gemini’s unnamed writer, claiming that it simply left Folks Can Fly on learn for lengthy sufficient that they need to cancel the undertaking. The knock-on monetary impact means the studio cannot hold going with Bifrost both. To make issues worse, with each video games indefinitely on maintain, Folks Can Fly has to “scale down” its groups, which means among the studio’s employees are shedding their jobs.
Wojciechowski concluded his assertion on a somber word, saying, “We want to categorical our deepest remorse and disappointment over how these occasions have unfolded and our honest gratitude for everybody’s contribution up thus far.”
The announcement doesn’t point out precisely how many individuals will likely be laid off or if Folks Can Fly needs to go away the door open to return to initiatives Gemini and Bifrost—however the prognosis is not good. “Gemini” and “Bifrost” are the code names of video games that have not been formally revealed but, however after this information, it appears like we’d not ever discover out what these video games had been speculated to be.
Folks Can Fly nonetheless has a ton of initiatives nonetheless in improvement, although. It has been introduced that the studio will likely be co-developing the upcoming Gears of Struggle prequel, E-Day, alongside The Coalition, and they’re additionally engaged on the co-op survival shooter, Misplaced Rift. Folks Can Fly additionally seems to have three unannounced initiatives nonetheless in improvement: Bison, Echo, and Delta.
Misplaced Rift seems to nonetheless be on monitor for its early entry launch, with a Could 27 Steam publish saying a demo for the sport will likely be accessible subsequent week as a part of Steam Subsequent Fest.
