FuturLab has cancelled a game unrelated to PowerWash Simulator and cut seven members of staff, highlighting the difficult financial calculations studios face when deciding whether to continue developing a new project. The developer confirmed that the project was cancelled while it was still in pre-production. According to CEO Kirsty Rigden, the decision came after the studio determined that the game would cost more to develop than it was to projected to earn. Seven employees subsequently lost their jobs.
FuturLab says it remains committed to PowerWash Simulator 2 while also prototyping ideas for future games. The sequel launched on October 23, 2025, and the studio continues to publish additional content for it, including its Star Wars and Adventure Time expansions. That distinction is important. FuturLab has an established franchise with PowerWash Simulator, but developing something new carries considerably more financial uncertainty. Rather than committing additional resources to a project whose projected revenue could not justify its development costs, the studio opted to cancel it before moving into full production.
Reporting from other outlets, citing sources familiar with the situation, indicates that the cancelled project had been in development for roughly two to three years despite remaining in pre-production. Those reports also provide additional details about how the layoffs were communicated, although FuturLab has not publicly confirmed every claim surrounding the process. The situation illustrates a broader challenge for game developers. A project can consume years of work and still become financially unviable before reaching full production. For studios without the resources of the industry’s largest publishers, deciding when to stop funding a project can be just as important as deciding which projects to pursue.
For FuturLab, the company’s stated direction is now clearer: continue supporting its established PowerWash Simulator franchise while exploring potential future projects through prototypes. Its current PowerWash Simulator 2 materials show that work on the sequel and its additional content remains active. The cancelled game may ultimately be remembered less for what it was than for what its cancellation reveals about the risks involved in developing new games. Even an established studio has to weigh years of development work against the projected commercial potential of an unproven idea—and sometimes determine that walking away is the more sustainable choice.
