People Can Fly Abruptly Ends Development of Project Dagger
People Can Fly, the studio behind Bulletstorm and Outriders, has made the difficult decision to terminate the development of Project Dagger. This new action-adventure IP had been in the works for over three years and was originally intended for release by Take-Two Interactive. However, after Take-Two pulled out of the deal in September 2022, People Can Fly took on the challenge of self-publishing the game in hopes of realizing its potential.
Unfortunately, despite initial optimism, development on Project Dagger hit a roadblock last November. An external evaluation revealed significant challenges, prompting People Can Fly to pause development and assign a team of experts to reassess the project’s direction. Ultimately, after months of deliberation, the studio has decided to cancel Project Dagger due to its limited scope and commercial viability.
This cancellation comes on the heels of the troubled Project Gemini, another endeavor by People Can Fly in collaboration with Square Enix. Budget constraints and project scope issues led to layoffs within the team, underscoring the difficulties faced by the studio in recent times. Despite these setbacks, People Can Fly remains committed to its other projects, including self-published titles like Project Bifrost and Project Victoria, as well as the secretive Project Maverick funded by Microsoft. The latter, rumored to be a part of the Gears of War universe, has garnered attention for its substantial budget and potential revival of the beloved franchise.