Project Baxter, a live service Dungeons and Dragons game in development at Starbreeze Entertainment, has been cancelled.
The decision was made in order to reallocate internal resources back towards the Payday franchise, meaning that while many employees are simply getting shuffled around – over 40 of them (both in-house employees and contractors) will be let go.
Starbreeze CEO, Adolf Kristjansson said the following of the restructuring: “This was a difficult but necessary decision. By focusing our investment and talent [on the Payday franchise], we can accelerate delivery, engage players with more content, and reinforce Starbreeze’s position as the clear leader in the heisting genre.
“This is about sharpening our focus to create the strongest long-term value for our players, our people, and our shareholders.”
The Wider Problem of Gaming Layoffs
This might all feel very familiar, as studios laying off staff and cancelling games is becoming increasingly commonplace. Microsoft recently cancelled Perfect Dark and Everwild, both grand-scale games in development, which naturally came with layoffs for the teams working on them.
In July, it was reported that 36,000 people in gameing had lost their jobs since 2022, which is around the time this growing blemish on the industry began take hold. This is naturally going to have many people in the line of work feeling uncertain about their future, and it might even impact prospective game developers looking for a foothold in their early careers.
Some effort is being made to create more job security for such employees through the formation of unions, many of which have been announced recently, though this would mark a shift in the power dynamics which higher ups might not respond too well – especially if it makes these kinds of sudden restructurings more difficult.
The Dungeons and Dragons Brand
After the rampaging success of Baldur’s Gate 3, games under the Dungeons and Dragons license have begun to draw a lot of attention. Developer Wizards of the Coast opened a Montreal studio to focus on a video game ofe the franchise, which is a refreshing update amid the recent spate of layoffs.
It’s currently unknown what the future direction will be, or which studio will ultimately be assigned the role of developing Baldur’s Gate 4 after Larian decided to move on.
