Star Wars Eclipse, the upcoming narrative-driven action game from Quantic Dream, has a projected development budget of €100 million. Converted to US dollars, it’s close to $109 million — making it one of the most expensive French-made games to date. That’s according to a recent report from the French National Assembly’s finance committee.
First shared by reporter Kilian Fichou on X, the report explores how France’s video game tax credit program is benefiting local game development. Among those projects receiving government support is Star Wars Eclipse, which was officially approved in 2021. The studio is expected to spend $79 million of that budget in France alone, spread over the years 2022 to 2025.
Based on the report, translated via Google Translate, the French gaming industry basically exploded when it gained an increased 30% tax break in 2017. Since then, spending on various projects quickly rose to $353 million by 2023.
With that in mind, it’s not surprising that’s not the only game getting the big-budget treatment. Dishonored developer Arkane Studios is also spending around $102 million on a mysterious project, which many assume refers to Marvel’s Blade. This educated guess should not be far from the mark, as Microsoft has shuttered its Austin subsidiary ever since Redfall flopped. The studio also has no other high-profile works in its pipeline. The report said that 96% of its budget — or $98 million — is being spent within France between 2023 and 2026.
Nevertheless, Star Wars Eclipse‘s $109 million budget does raise a few eyebrows. After all, all we’ve ever seen of it was a vague cinematic trailer at The 2021 Game Awards. Gamers and media alike didn’t even recognize it was supposed to be a part of George Lucas’ space epic until a lightsaber popped up. There has been no gameplay reveal or any follow-up presentations ever since; just radio silence.
Then there’s the Quantic Dream factor itself. While Detroit: Become Human wowed gamers with its visuals and interesting moral dilemmas, it didn’t exactly push the boundaries of interactivity. Even then, speaking of its visuals, Detroit was arguably quickly outshone by other 2018 releases like Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, and Spider-Man. All of which offered both graphical polish and deep gameplay mechanics.
In today’s volatile AAA landscape marked with shuttered studios, even recognizable IP and a huge sack of cash do not guarantee success. With a whopping $109 million budget and years of silence, Star Wars Eclipse definitely has a lot to prove before it’s ready for the Council.
