Remedy Halts Development on Project Kestrel to Focus on Core Franchises

Remedy Entertainment, in conjunction with Tencent, has decided to cease development on their co-op multiplayer game, originally dubbed Vanguard and later renamed Project Kestrel. The game was planned as a free-to-play live service but shifted to a premium model just six months ago. Despite these changes, it was not enough to keep the project going.

Tero Virtala, CEO of Remedy, stated that Project Kestrel had shown initial promise but was still at an early conceptual stage. With other projects progressing well, the company chose to prioritize them, benefiting from reallocating the Kestrel team to more advanced developments. These include the Max Payne remakes and expansions of the Alan Wake and Control series.

No layoffs will result from the cancellation, as the Kestrel team members will join other ongoing projects. This reallocation will also reduce operating and recruitment costs, further streamlining company operations.

In addition to the existing projects, Remedy continues to work on Project Condor, a Control spin-off, which has recently moved into the production phase. Despite the setback with Kestrel, Remedy’s financial outlook remains strong, buoyed by the performance of its latest releases.

This decision reflects Remedy’s strategy to concentrate on its core franchises and maintain financial stability while minimizing risks associated with new and untested game formats.