Latest news with #ProjectGemini
The Irish Sun
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Major PS5 and Xbox game sequel ‘cancelled' without warning as fans call axing ‘criminal' and blast ‘brutal cliffhanger'
A LONG-awaited sequel to a hit PS5 and Xbox game has been axed without warning — leaving fans gutted. 2 Reports claim the decision came from Square Enix and was beyond the developer's control The game was being made by Polish developer People Can Fly and had the working title Project Gemini. Reports claim the decision came from Square Enix and was beyond the developer's control. It's not clear why the game was cancelled, but it's another blow to an already struggling games industry. Outriders launched in 2021 and got off to a strong start thanks to its day-one release on Xbox Game Pass. Read more on Technology The looter-shooter picked up a loyal fanbase and Square Enix even said it could become their 'next big franchise'. Despite that, the game failed to make a profit in its first year. That may have raised doubts about the future of the series — and now it seems those fears were justified. According to sources, Outriders 2 had already reached the motion capture stage, suggesting it was well underway. Most read in Tech Motion capture is used to bring characters and cutscenes to life, and often takes place in the later stages of production. However, some insiders say the sequel wasn't quite as far along as others claim. Either way, the cancellation came as a shock — and has sparked backlash from fans. Gamers have taken to Reddit to vent their frustration. One said: 'Still maintain that this game had the best crafting system for a looter shooter. Had some really fun builds when we played this.' Another added: 'That's a bummer. I had fun with the first one but 3-person co-op is just such a weird number.' A third said: 'I hope it gets resurrected somehow as I really, really loved the first one.' Many fans are also angry that the first game ended on a massive cliffhanger — one that may now never be resolved. Some even called the decision 'criminal' and accused the publisher of giving up on a story they were heavily invested in. This is the second known game to be cancelled at People Can Fly, who are now focused on other projects. The studio is currently working on several titles, including helping out on Gears of War: E-Day. They previously developed Gears of War: Judgement for Xbox 360, so they're no strangers to the franchise. As for Outriders, its future looks uncertain. With the sequel shelved and no official word from Square Enix, fans are bracing themselves for the worst. It's not the first time a big-name game has been scrapped — and likely won't be the last. SEGA shocked fans in 2023 when it cancelled Hyenas, a flashy team-based shooter from Total War devs Creative Assembly. The game had already been through public testing, but was axed just before release, alongside a wave of job cuts. Over at PlayStation, The Last of Us Online was quietly shelved by Naughty Dog. The multiplayer spin-off was meant to expand the world of the hit franchise, but after years in development limbo, the studio admitted in late 2023 it had decided to pull the plug and focus on single-player titles instead. Xbox gamers were left disappointed years earlier when Scalebound, a dragon-riding action adventure, was cancelled by Microsoft. Despite early gameplay footage and a growing fanbase, the 2017 cancellation blamed development struggles and high ambitions that proved too difficult to deliver. 2 According to sources, Outriders 2 had already reached the motion capture stage, suggesting it was well underway Credit: Sony PlayStation
Washington Post
01-07-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Brian Cleveland Appointed Head of the Print Desk
Dear All, I'm pleased to share that Brian Cleveland will become the head of our new print desk, effective today. This is a crucial role in the remaking of the newsroom. Brian will be tasked with building and then running a self-contained print desk, staffed to keep the paper lively, strong and engaging, while keeping it downstream from the rest of the news day. After the desk is built in the second half of this year, Brian and his team of roughly two dozen will oversee daily print production. The team will ensure our print product remains an important pillar for many years, while also facilitating deeper digital engagement for the rest of the newsroom. Brian, a 13-year veteran of The Post, is well situated to take on a role that requires news judgment and leadership. He has been multiplatform editing chief since last fall, overseeing the copy editors who are responsible for editing most of the newsroom's content as well as transmitting stories for our News Service. Brian has been integral to Project Gemini and our ongoing discussions about workflow and production changes. Brian has strong relationships across the newsroom, and will remain engaged in that work in his new role. Before coming to The Post, Brian was the copy desk chief at the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk and a copy editor at the Duluth News Tribune in Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. In this new role, he will report to me, with a dotted line to Gregg Fernandes. Please join me in congratulating Brian on this big step forward for The Post.
Engadget
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
People Can Fly cancels two games and lays off developers
People Can Fly, the developer of Outriders and Gears of War: Judgement , announced Monday that its ending development on two of its upcoming games due to issues with its publisher and an inability to secure funding to continue development. As part of this decision, People Can Fly will be forced "significantly regroup" and "scale down [its] teams," the studio's CEO Sebastian Wojciechowksi shared in a statement on LinkedIn. The statement doesn't elaborate on how many staff will be impacted by the cuts, but does call out Project Gemini and Project Bifrost as the two games being cancelled. People Can Fly made the decision to shut down Gemini because the game's publisher failed to provide a publishing agreement and didn't communicate "its willingness to continue or terminate the Gemini project." Without that publishing deal or the funds to continue working on Bifrost — a self-published VR game — the studio was forced to cancel it, too. This isn't the first time People Can Fly has shut down a project or made cuts to its teams. In December 2024, the studio announced that it was ending development on a game called Project Victoria and also reducing the number of people working on Bifrost. In that same announcement, People Can Fly also revealed that Square Enix was publishing Gemini. People Can Fly last worked with Square Enix to publish Outriders, somewhat of a minor cult hit now, but not a commercial success at launch. Even with the cuts and cancelled games, the studio still has multiple upcoming projects in the works, including Project Delta, which People Can Fly is creating for Sony and Gears of War: E-Day , which the studio is co-developing with Xbox studio The Coalition.
