Remedy said that members of the “Kestrel” project team will be reallocated to other game projects to ensure full utilization of talent resources. At the same time, Remedy will also reduce recruitment needs accordingly.
Public information shows that the code-named “Kestrel” project was launched in November 2023 and was jointly developed by Remedy and Tencent. The project originated from the earlier concept code-named “Vanguard” and aimed to create an advanced multiplayer cooperative game. However, after communication between Remedy and Tencent, the two parties decided to terminate the “Kestrel” project and focus each other’s energy on the deepening and expansion of existing game IP.
Regarding the termination of the project, Remedy CEO Tero Virtala said in the article, “Although the ‘Kestrel’ journey ended prematurely, our team showed extraordinary talent in the process and accumulated valuable experience for the company. These developers will were redeployed to other game projects that are progressing well, helping them enter a new stage of development. At the same time, I would like to express my gratitude to Tencent for their professional support and our partnership demonstrated a high degree of understanding and collaboration in this decision-making process. ”
The game projects currently being developed by Remedy include: “Max Payne 1/2: Remastered Edition”, “Codename: Condor”, “Control 2”, etc.
According to Remedy’s financial report, “Max Payne 1/2: Remastered” will enter the full development stage in the first half of this year. The development budget of this work is similar to that of “Alan Killer 2” (approximately 50 million to 70 million euros), and will be fully sponsored by IP holder Rockstar. “Control 2” and its spin-off cooperative game “Codename Condor” will also enter the next stage of development.
From a performance perspective, Remedy is under considerable operating pressure, so canceling the early-stage game “Kestrel” to focus on the development of core game products may have a better chance of winning. Interestingly, as a co-producer of the “Kestrel” game, Tencent also increased its holdings in Remedy a while ago, with its shareholding ratio reaching 14.08%. The cooperation project was terminated, but it still received support from Tencent, which shows that Tencent recognizes its game research and development capabilities.
