Image credit: People Can Fly

This isn’t the news fans were hoping for. People Can Fly, the team behind OUTRIDERS, had a sequel lined up.

It was codenamed Project Gemini, and it’s officially toast. The axe fell in June, along with another unannounced title. The scoop first came from TheThumbWars and was later backed up by Insider Gaming.

Outriders 2 Canceled

So what happened? Well, no one’s dropping full details, but the tea’s pretty hot: money trouble and poor communication with Square Enix. That’s the publisher behind the original Outriders, and let’s just say… things didn’t exactly end on friendly terms.

According to People Can Fly CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski, one “certain” publisher bailed on providing basics like a content plan, a publishing agreement, or any kind of financial roadmap. Basically, Square Enix ghosted them with no follow-up, no formal cancellation, no support. Just radio silence.

It Was Never Close to Finished

There were rumors floating around that Project Gemini was nearly done. Yeah, not even close. Insider Gaming got their hands on internal footage and screenshots, and it turns out the game was still in the motion capture stage earlier this year. So those “almost done” whispers? Total fiction.

The fallout hit hard. June’s cancellation caused 50 layoffs, and that’s on top of 120 staff cut in December. The studio blamed “external market pressures” for that wave. Feels like Gemini was the final straw.

Square Enix’s Track Record Isn’t Helping

This isn’t Square Enix’s first time fumbling a project. They’ve been catching heat lately for unrealistic expectations, underperforming launches, and some baffling decisions like selling off Crystal Dynamics dirt cheap. Even Final Fantasy hasn’t been safe from their internal drama.

The Studio’s Not Dead Yet

Here’s the upside: People Can Fly isn’t packing it in. They’ve still got five projects in the works. These include:

  • Gears of War: E-Day (with Xbox Game Studios)
  • Project Echo (with Krafton)
  • Project Delta (with Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Lost Rift (a VR game)
  • Project Bison (self-published)

So while Outriders 2 might never happen, the studio’s still alive and kicking — and busy.

Another Reminder That Game Development Is a Mess

Behind the scenes, things are rarely as clean as fans think. People Can Fly didn’t just lose a game. They lost time, money, staff, and momentum. All because a publisher couldn’t make up their mind.

It’s a punch to the gut for Outriders fans, no doubt. But it’s also a look into how fragile these projects really are especially when the suits stop talking.