Lightspeed LA just axed 80 roles after Tencent pulled the plug on Last Sentinel, its six-year cyberpunk open-world project pitched as a GTA rival set in futuristic Tokyo. The studio announced a "shift in creative and development direction" following poor internal playtests and an unimpressive demo to execs, confirming what Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported: Tencent isn't moving forward with the original vision.[[1]](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/tencents-cyberpunk-rival-to-grand-theft-auto-is-in-trouble-as-its-developer-lays-off-80-people/)[[2]](https://www.gamesindustry.biz/last-sentinel-developer-lightspeed-la-conducts-layoffs-80-roles-reportedly-cut)

The project launched with a flashy CGI reveal trailer at The Game Awards 2023 but never showed a single frame of gameplay, only concept art and pre-rendered hype. Multiple delays and at least one partial reboot later, the smaller team—far below Rockstar's scale—couldn't deliver the vertical city, destructible environments, and driving/shooting loop Tencent expected. Sources described unclear vision, polarizing management from ex-Rockstar San Diego director Steve Martin, and a final July presentation that sealed the deal.[[1]](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/tencents-cyberpunk-rival-to-grand-theft-auto-is-in-trouble-as-its-developer-lays-off-80-people/)

Lightspeed claims the studio remains open, North America stays a priority, and affected staff get support plus possible internal transfers, but the game is effectively dead in its announced form. No release date was ever set, and the pivot to "meet player expectations" rings hollow when the original pitch was a full AAA GTA competitor. This is another classic case of big money chasing big ambitions with too little runway.