A number of Fishlabs developers and artists have taken to Artstation to release conceptual images and videos of their canceled game ‘Project Black’.
According to the posts, Project Black was canceled in September 2023 as a part of Embracer Groups ‘Project Phoenix’ restructuring, which saw multiple projects canned. The comments from developers reveal that the game was set to be a third-person sci-fi shooter.
The posts reveal that Project Black was in development for two years during its conceptual stages, but didn’t make it into full production. We’ve shared some of the images and videos below, but you can check out the entire library of content here.
It was announced in November 2023 that Fishlabs was set to face downsizing which impacted around 50 positions.
“Despite exhaustive efforts to avoid downsizing, the lack of approval and therefore financing for the studio’s unannounced project (also referred to as “Project Black”) has made this step unavoidable,” the company said when announcing the decision.
In recent months, the Embracer Group has continued to reduce in size and layoff hundreds of staff across its studios. Most recently, 3D Realms and Spligate Ironworks faced layoffs just a couple of weeks before Christmas.
“For Christmas this year, I got laid off,” Lead Composer and Sound Design Michael Markie posted on Twitter. “If anyone is looking for a level designer or audio please hit me up!”
What do you think of the concept art of Project Black? Let us know in the comments below!
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That is an absolutely incredible art style! My heart is hurt at this news. So much work by talented artists…