Sebastian Wojciechowski, CEO of Outriders studio People Can Fly, has announced on LinkedIn that the studio is laying off staff due to having to suspend two in-development games known as projects Gemini and Bifrost. Wojciechowski lays the blame for Gemini’s suspension on an unnamed publisher.
“The Suspension of the Gemini project is a consequence of the fact that the Publisher has not presented us with a draft of the subsequent content rider to the Publishing Agreement covering the terms and conditions of further milestones on project Gemini and the lack of communication from the Publisher as to its willingness to continue or terminate the Gemini project,” Wojciechowski writes in the update on LinkedIn.
The CEO then explains that a second project, Bifrost, has also been suspended due to the same publisher issue that caused Gemini’s suspension, adding that an “analysis of the Group’s cash flow, which showed a lack of prospects for securing organizational resources and funds necessary to continue this production and release of this project,” is also behind Bifrost’s suspension.
“As a result, we have to significantly regroup as a studio and scale down our teams, which hurts the most,” Wojciechowski writes. “We wish to express our deepest regret and sadness over how these events have unfolded and our sincere gratitude for everyone’s contribution up to this point.”
People Can Fly has been around for over two decades, with credits on games like Gears of War, Bulletstorm, and Gears of War: Judgment. It also developed 2021’s Outriders, a third-person looter shooter published by Square Enix. It is unclear which publisher Wojciechowski is referencing in today’s update, as projects Gemini and Bifrost were unannounced games the studio was working on.
Elsewhere, People Can Fly is co-developing The Coalition’s upcoming prequel, Gears of War: E-Day, and first-person survival shooter Lost Rift.
The hearts of the Game Informer staff are with everyone who’s been affected by these layoffs.