Star Wars Eclipse Development Reportedly Moving Slowly as Quantic Dream Looks to Spellcasters Chronicles
According to sources cited by Insider Gaming, development on Star Wars Eclipse is reportedly moving very slowly, with very little progress made since Quantic Dream’s last official update in October.
Looking at the more positive side, the same source says that a good portion of the game has already been completed. However, development is said to be moving so slowly that it is estimated that at the current state, it will still take years before completion. Long development cycles are now common for AAA games, but in this case it is worth noting that more than four years have passed since Eclipse was officially announced at The Game Awards in December 2021.
Quantic Dream Reportedly Banking on Spellcasters Chronicles to Support Star Wars Eclipse
Sources from Insider Gaming also claim that Quantic Dream tried to propose a studio expansion plan to speed up work on Eclipse, but publisher NetEase currently prefers not to invest further and is carefully reviewing the studio’s long-term future.
Both companies are said to be relying on Spellcasters Chronicles, the free-to-play MOBA that entered early access in February, to generate revenue that could be reinvested into the development of Eclipse. Otherwise, NetEase may even decide to stop investing in the studio.
“At this stage, the long-term outlook is less driven by creative capabilities and more by financial viability,” one Insider Gaming source said. “Should Spellcasters fail commercially, NetEase is expected to reevaluate its commitment to the studio and could opt to discontinue further investment.”
As always, these reports should be treated with caution, even if they come from an established outlet such as Insider Gaming. However, if they are accurate, the picture does not look particularly encouraging for Spellcasters Chronicles.
At launch, the game reached a peak of 888 concurrent players, while after two months the daily peak now appears to range between 85 and 90 users, which are fairly low numbers for a multiplayer title. User reviews also do not help much: since launch, only 60% of reviews have been positive, although that figure has risen to 70% over the last month.
