People Can Fly Cancels Two Projects, Scales Down Teams: What Happened to Gemini and Bifrost?
In a significant shakeup for the gaming industry, People Can Fly, the studio behind titles like Outriders and Gears of War: Judgement, has announced the cancellation of two in-development projects: Project Gemini, originally slated to be published by Square Enix, and Project Bifrost, a self-published virtual reality game. This news comes with the difficult decision to scale down its teams.
According to a statement from CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski, the suspension of Project Gemini stems from the publisher's failure to provide a draft of the subsequent content rider to the Publishing Agreement, outlining the terms and conditions for future milestones. The lack of communication regarding the project's continuation or termination ultimately led to its cancellation.
Project Bifrost faced a similar fate due to an analysis of the group's cash flow, which revealed a lack of prospects for securing the necessary resources and funding for continued production and release. "As a result, we have to significantly regroup as a studio and scale down our teams, which hurts the most," Wojciechowski stated.
The studio, founded in 2002, has a history of collaborating on major titles. They partnered with Epic Games on Bulletstorm and led development on Gears of War: Judgement. Currently, People Can Fly is also working on Gears of War: E-Day in collaboration with The Coalition, and Project Delta with Sony Interactive Entertainment. This makes the cancellation of Project Gemini and Project Bifrost even more surprising.
The news comes after People Can Fly announced its second round of layoffs in less than a year in December, affecting "more than 120" people, blaming "external market pressures". The company's investor webpage confirms that Project Gemini was intended to be a triple-A title developed in partnership with Square Enix, while Project Bifrost was planned as a self-published game.
Wojciechowski expressed deep regret and sadness over the unfolding events and extended gratitude to everyone who contributed to the projects. The cancellation of these projects raises questions about the future direction of People Can Fly and their relationship with key publishers like Square Enix. What does this mean for the gaming landscape and the studio's upcoming collaborations? Share your thoughts and speculations in the comments below.
