Among the massive layoffs that the video game has known in recent years, Netease Games is now one of those who separate from its studios and other collaborators. Among other things, the American part of the developers of Marvel Rivals (six characters in total), other Western studios are also affected by these contract ends. Worlds Untold, Liquid Swords and Jar of Sparks are obviously concerned, while Nagoshi’s studio must finish its game without the slightest extension, both financial and development time. Difficult also not to think of Quantic Dream, bought 100% in 2022 by Netease Games, and which has not released since 2018 and its Detroit Become Human. But the French studio wanted to reassure everyone, it is spared by these layoffs. It was the CEO of the studio, Guillaume de Foundaumière, who split a message on LinkedIn.
“We have been deeply saddened to learn recent layoffs and closings of studios affecting certain divisions of the Netease group. Our thoughts go to all those affected and we sincerely hope that they will quickly find new opportunities.
David Cage and I want to express our gratitude to fans and friends who have contacted us in recent days about Quantic Dream. We want to reassure everyone that our Paris and Montreal studios are not affected. We continue to develop our projects at full speed, with several open positions available in the two cities (please consult https://lnkd.in/e_ajfbua for more details).
Founded 28 years ago, Quantic Dream remains faithful to the strategy defined by David and me in 2019, when Netease initially acquired a minority participation in our company. Over the past six years, Netease has been a dedicated partner, offering us creative freedom and the financial resources necessary for the growth and development of our studio. In 2022, Quantic Dream became a subsidiary at 100 % Netease, in accordance with our common vision of the future.
In addition to reassuring faithful, collaborators and people from the industry, Guillaume de Fondaumière also explains that 2024 was the best financial year of Quantic Dream, thanks in particular to the sales of Detroit Become Human which continues to sell itself and crossed the threshold of 11 million copies sold. What have a quiet mind to finish Star Wars Eclipse properly.
In 2024, we achieved the highest turnover in our history, thanks to the exceptional performance of our hindquarters. In particular, Detroit: Become Human reached 11 million world sales units on Playstation and PC last year, a remarkable increase of 2 million units compared to the previous year, demonstrating the sustainable attraction and the quality of our titles. The developments in our current projects are progressing as planned, and we are fully committed to delivering and launching these innovative and high quality titles in the future. “