People Can Fly is conducting layoffs and freezing the development of Project Victoria due to a change in strategy
The Polish company People Can Fly has decided to focus more on developing games in partnership with other companies. These include Project Gemini, which is being developed in collaboration with Square Enix, and Project Maverick, with support from Microsoft.
Outriders
People Can Fly explained that it is forced to reduce its work based on a business model where it both develops and publishes games itself. This is due to the company's failure to secure new funding of 350 million PLN (86.5 million USD), which is necessary for implementing all its plans.
These changes will affect at least two games: Project Bifrost and Project Victoria. The company intends to halt the development of Project Victoria and make reductions in the teams working on both projects.
Currently, People Can Fly plans to part ways with a total of 120 employees. According to the company, some people will be laid off, while others will be temporarily removed from their duties. The exact number of people permanently leaving People Can Fly has not been disclosed.
"The company had to take these measures due to external market pressure lasting longer than we anticipated. The gaming market is still evolving, and we must adapt to the current state of affairs. We will double our efforts by forming new partnerships and focusing on developing one of our own games. We believe in our teams, games, and their potential, and we remain determined to continue on this path, but we need to adjust our plans to match our financial capabilities," stated CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski of People Can Fly.
It is worth noting that earlier this year, People Can Fly already conducted layoffs. In January, it reduced its workforce by about 30 individuals. Later, it also canceled the development of Project Dagger, which was initially supposed to be published by Take-Two Interactive, but they withdrew from the partnership in September 2022.
