While the month of December began with quite a bang with new content releases for Assetto Corsa EVO, Gran Turismo 7, and RaceRoom Racing Experience, it has quickly turned into a sour note for Straight4 Studios and Three Fields Entertainment.
Straight4 Studios, the developers behind the recently released Project Motor Racing, has announced that an unspecified portion of its workforce was laid off, while others connected to the title have also commented on their own channels of reduced or eliminated role.
The official word on the news comes courtesy of a statement on PMR’s social media channel on Twitter, in which the developer states it has “had to reduce the size” of its team:
A spiritual successor to both Project CARS and the acclaimed GTR-series of racing sims on PC, Project Motor Racing launched to less than favorable reviews and opinions.
GTPlanet’s own (video) review was among them, and while we had praise for some aspects — particularly the well-curated car list — our gripes were largely echoed across other outlets too. The title currently holds a rather optimistic Metascore of 60, while the usually more volatile user reviews are only about half that.
The PMR team was quick to address the discontent, but it was already set to be a long road and today’s news makes that look even longer still.
While the studio came to what it refers to as a “heartbreaking conclusion” that wasn’t a “reflection of the talent or dedication of the people affected”, the team asserts it remains fully committed to PMR. As such, players can still expect to see future updates and improvements to the game, including the game’s first year of DLC.
Making matters worse, UK-based developer Three Fields Entertainment took to its official channel on Instagram and has announced that the entire team have been placed on notice of redundancy.
According to the statement, publisher THQ Nordic had pulled the plug on funding Wreckreation, and it appears to have been the case for some time now. Fiona Sperry, co-founder of TFE, states that the team has self-funded the project for most of the year, as well as all of the post-launch content. As such, and without any financial backing from its publisher and unable to take revenue from the title itself, the team is unable to sustain the studio “in its current form”.
What’s more, TFE had a few feature updates on the docket, including a Burnout-style crash mode where players would cause destructive chaos on the road with pre-made setups or the option to create and share their own. One update, set to feature crossplay, is confirmed to make way before Christmas, again on the team’s own dime.
The hope here then is that another publisher comes along to pick the game up, allowing Three Fields to continue its work on the title that’s barely two months old. While Wreckreation may not have hit all of the right notes, it appears that the TFE team was eager to build upon the game and deliver an experience that would be a Burnout title in all but name.
More titles always means more choices for gamers, and with both developers committed to improving their products we hope 2026 is a brighter year for Straight4 Studios and Three Fields Entertainment.
See more articles on Project Motor Racing and Wreckreation.
