The return of Lucasfilm Games was one of the biggest video game surprises of 2021, and so was how fast it worked. Several Star Wars video game projects have been either announced or rumored since then, with the KOTOR Remake and Quantic Dream’s Star Wars Eclipse both falling into the former category. All fans have seen of either, but more specifically the latter, is a cinematic trailer.
This isn’t all too uncommon, especially for games early in their development cycles; however, it may not be the best news for Star Wars Eclipse. It seems the game has already encountered serious development issues that may very well impact it in the long run.
This information comes way of Tom Henderson’s sources, including those familiar with past and future Quantic Dream plans and more. All of this information should be treated as rumor. Apparently, Star Wars Eclipse originally started off as an MMORPG codenamed Project Karma but was rejected by Sony for Detroit: Become Human. These MMORPG assets would eventually be repurposed and pitched as a new Star Wars game.
Quantic Dream’s engine is supposedly struggling with Star Wars Eclipse as it was only designed for confined levels and limited NPCs, thus suggesting the initial scope for the game may be beyond Quantic Dream’s current resource capabilities. After all, the studio is also reportedly struggling with the multiplayer aspect of Star Wars Eclipse and, after 18 months in production/development, there is still no playable internal version of the game.
Part of this seems to be a struggle for resources. After Detroit: Become Human, the studio was reportedly looking to sell itself as a way to get more resources and expand the studio’s size and scope, but Quantic Dream's workplace harassment, racism, sexism, and homophobia accusations reportedly drove away all the buyers. Combined with this is the fact that Quantic Dream is having staffing issues due to allegations as well.
Specifically, these allegations involve studio head David Cage who has allegedly made inappropriate jokes about female actors in Quantic Dream games, as well as a lot more. His alleged behavior is a primary factor in the above allegation troubles and rumors, but it’s also the reason fans began the Blackout Star Wars Eclipse campaign, with many vowing to not support the game as long as David Cage is involved. What comes of these accusations, as well as the development trouble of the game itself, remains to be seen.
Star Wars Eclipse is currently in development.