Don’t Nod Pausing Two Projects After Jusant, Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden Flop

The first half of the year hasn’t been kind to Life Is Strange studio Don’t Nod. The company revealed that because Jusant and Banishers: Ghost of New Eden have underperformed, two future projects have been temporarily paused.

Don’t Nod noted that its operating revenue is down 11% year over year in the company’s first-half 2024 financial results. “We are obviously disappointed by our recent performance in an extremely competitive and selective market,” said Don’t Nod CEO Oskar Guilbert. “Despite an excellent critical reception, Jusant and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden unfortunately did not achieve the commercial results we had hoped for, resulting in a deterioration in our 2024 half-year results and leading us to consider all possible options regarding our roadmap.”

That roadmap includes “temporarily pausing two projects” and focusing on “the highest potential return on investment in the short (and medium) term,” according to the Don’t Nod financial briefing. So high hopes are being placed on Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, with the first episode launching in February 2025. GameSpot’s preview of the game pointed out that an exciting twist makes it more than just a Life Is Strange imitator.

Earlier this year, Don’t Nod interestingly enough mentioned Jusant as a success when announcing a plan to focus on specific genres: action-RPGs and narrative adventure games, for example. At the time, the company said it had seven projects in development, though that’s obviously been cut down to five now.

Jusant is a climbing game that was released last year, while Banishers: Ghost of New Eden arrived in February of this year. For more, check out GameSpot’s Banishers review.