{"rewrite":{"id":"r_26ab84e6a14e2768c8629cc3","clusterId":"c_1dd6f67afe632b8883baab2a","slug":"futurlab-cancels-unannounced-project-as-seven-staff-depart","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"FuturLab Cancels Unannounced Project as Seven Staff Depart","summary":"FuturLab, the developer behind PowerWash Simulator, has canceled an unannounced project that was in development for two to three years, and seven staff have left the company. CEO Kirsty Rigden confirmed the cancellation, saying the project was in preproduction and its costs would exceed expected revenue. The studio is now focusing on PowerWash Simulator 2 while continuing to prototype new games.","whyItMatters":"The cancellation reverses FuturLab's stated goal of not being a PowerWash-only studio, pulling the company back toward the series even as its 2025 finances improved.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe cancellation was announced in late June, and seven staff left the company in late July, according to anonymous testimony reported by This Week in Video Games. FuturLab confirmed the project had been in development for two to three years and was at the preproduction stage. Whether the departures were layoffs is confidential, CEO Kirsty Rigden said, citing costs that would exceed expected revenue.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe studio\u0026#39;s finances were not the cause. UK company filings compiled by The Accounts show 2025 fiscal year sales of about 26 million pounds, 2.75 times the prior year, and pre-tax profit of about 11 million pounds after a 2024 deficit. Rigden said the company is putting its full effort into PowerWash Simulator 2 while still prototyping new games.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"FuturLab has canceled an unannounced project that was two to three years in development, and seven staff have left. The CEO says costs would have exceeded revenue. The studio is now focused on PowerWash Simulator 2 while still prototyping new games.","twitterPost":"FuturLab has canceled an unannounced project in development for 2-3 years; seven staff have left. CEO Kirsty Rigden says costs would exceed revenue. The studio is focusing on PowerWash Simulator 2 while prototyping new games.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"FuturLab has canceled an unannounced project that was two to three years in development, and seven staff have left the company. CEO Kirsty Rigden said the project was in preproduction and its costs would have exceeded expected revenue. The studio is now focused on PowerWash Simulator 2 while continuing to prototype new games, despite strong 2025 fiscal year results.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260909-465959/\",\"title\":\"PowerWash Simulator Developer Had Canceled a Non-PowerWash Project; Now Focusing on PowerWash Simulator 2\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4928,"outputTokens":5636,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1788933871,"createdAt":"2026-09-09T06:02:09.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-09T06:03:20.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-09T06:03:20.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_1dd6f67afe632b8883baab2a","canonicalTitle":"『PowerWash Simulator』開発元、『PowerWash』以外のプロジェクトを中止していた。ひとまず『PowerWash Simulator 2』に注力、でも完全新作は諦めない","representativeArticleId":"a_0c11b27ed2aac08d3ae3ea81","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"PowerWash Simulator\",\"PowerWash Simulator 2\"],\"studios\":[\"FuturLab\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-09T04:55:08.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-09T04:55:08.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-09T06:03:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260909-465959/","title":"『PowerWash Simulator』開発元、『PowerWash』以外のプロジェクトを中止していた。ひとまず『PowerWash Simulator 2』に注力、でも完全新作は諦めない"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["PowerWash Simulator","PowerWash Simulator 2"],"studios":["FuturLab"],"people":[],"type":"business","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}