Overview
- FuturLab confirmed on September 8 that it cancelled a non-PowerWash project that sources say had been in development for two to three years and was shelved in late June.
- The company acknowledged that seven people left the studio in July and described the choice as a cost-driven decision taken during pre-production.
- CEO Kirsty Rigden told reporters the project would have cost more to make than it could reasonably earn and said she could not provide further details because a confidential legal process governs the departures.
- Anonymous sources corroborated reporting that affected staff were left without new assignments for weeks, managers were not told about the removals, and employees were instructed to avoid the term 'redundancy' and call those who left 'the leavers.'
- FuturLab says it will concentrate resources on PowerWash Simulator 2 while prototyping other ideas, and the controversy raises questions about internal communication, staff morale, and how the studio will handle future project planning.