Key art for the 11 bit studios game Frostpunk 2, depicting a man wearing orange-tinted goggles

11 bit studios CEO Teases Two New Projects, Explains Project 8 Shutdown

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Published: December 26, 2024 9:26 AM

11 bit studios CEO Przemysław Marszał has provided some more context regarding the studio's recent cancellation of its story-based, console-focused game Project 8, and he's also teased two new projects in the works at the studio.

In an interview with Polish publication PAP Biznes (via Game World Observer), Marszał says that the gaming industry is "going through a severe crisis" at the moment, and that 2024 was a tough year for 11 bit "in some areas".

As a reminder, 11 bit revealed the cancellation of Project 8 last week, along with a reduction in staff that would see several of the project's developers laid off. Others, however, would apparently be reallocated to other 11 bit projects.

A building with red flags billowing in the wind in the 11 bit studios game Project 8
11 bit studios recently canceled Project 8, calling the project too risky to continue with.

In the PAP Biznes interview, Marszał says that Project 8's reference points would have included the likes of Ninja Theory's Senua games, as well as the Plague Tale series; specifically, the gameplay would have been more similar to the latter than the former.

However, Marszał reiterates that he believes the market has changed since Project 8 began development, and that games like the aforementioned titles aren't doing particularly well in the current climate.

He says that Project 8 was suffering from a number of issues both big and small, and that correcting them would have required more development time than management was comfortable with, so the game was shelved.

Marszał also reveals two new 11 bit studios projects, although he doesn't go into detail about either of them. The first is a 25-developer project with a smaller budget that's targeting a 2027 release, while the second will be "bigger" and take around "four years" for production.

The player looking at a ping-pong table and considering playing beer pong in 11 bit studios' The Alters
One of 11 bit studios' next projects will reportedly be on a similar level to the upcoming The Alters.

According to Marszał, 11 bit is also about to announce a change in its publishing strategy, which the CEO says is a "direct consequence" of its experience in this area so far.

To remind you, the studio doesn't just publish its own games; it's also a third-party publisher, with games like surreal adventure Indika, sci-fi head-scratcher The Invincible, and CRPG The Thaumaturge being some of the games on its publishing slate.

In any case, it sounds like both of the newly-revealed 11 bit projects are still a little ways away from being ready, so it might be a while before we hear what they are. Stay tuned for more.

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Joe has been writing for TechRaptor for several years, and in those years has learned a lot about the gaming industry and its foibles. He’s originally an… More about Joseph