Massively

38 Studios lays off entire staff, sells Big Huge Games [Updated]

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Legal, Miscellaneous

The 38 Studios disaster continues to unfold today, as the troubled studio laid off its entire staff and may be selling off its Big Huge Games division in Boston. Boston's Fox 25 News speculates that the studio may close by this weekend.

38 Studios CM Charles Dane confirmed being laid off on Twitter: "Now on the market. I had an awesome run with 38 Studios, but this dream is now ending."

Word is that the company is also selling its subsidiary, Big Huge Games. Big Huge Games is the maker of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, 38 Studios' single-player prequel to its Copernicus MMO. This would not be the first time that Big Huge Games was sold by its parent company, as the studio experienced the same event back in 2009.

Oh his Facebook page, Curt Schilling stressed that Reckoning did quite well in sales. "I wanted to clear up some misinformation around 38 Studios' first product, Reckoning. Sales of Reckoning outperformed EA's expectations and sold more than 1.2 million units in the game's first 90 days in the market."

[Update]: Developer Ryan Shwayder has also confirmed the layoffs via his personal blog.

38 Studios lays off entire staff, sells Big Huge Games [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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38 Studios appears to be getting no new help

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Legal, Miscellaneous

The bad news continues to accumulate for Rhode Island developer 38 Studios. According to Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee, the company has received a grand total of no outside investment. It also has not received any of the tax credits that it requested, leaving the studio still deep in the hole. Chafee has stated that he is doing everything in his power to prevent the studio's closure.

Staff members are also leaving the company at an alarming rate, with CEO Jen MacLean and senior VP of product development John Blakely both confirming their departures from the company. The hiring of both individuals was trumpeted as a mark of success as recently as March of this year, and Blakely was still employed by 38 Studios as recently as Monday evening. There's even talk of the company's health insurance running out. None of this news suggests that Curt Schilling's company will make a quick turnaround -- if indeed it makes a turnaround at all.

38 Studios appears to be getting no new help originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fallen Earth team dwindles further, but the game still lives

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Post-Apocalyptic

Earlier tonight we got word of a rumor regarding Fallen Earth's development team dwindling down to three remaining content designers: a scripter, an artist and a game designer. Concerned over what has turned out to be a horrible week of layoffs, we shot an email to GamersFirst, which quickly responded:

"We had a large contractor crew on FE and we are focusing on creating our own employee pool to manage the game. We did decide to not renew some of our contractors. As you probably know that we are going to focus on our own home grown IPs like APB Reloaded, Fallen Earth, Hailan Rising and Taikodom. We have already stopped servicing Knight Online and we will be stopping service of War Rock from June 1. As a result we will using our own pool of experienced staff to manage the complete operations of Fallen Earth. Key game design folks like Marie still continue to be at the helm in North Carolina. Fallen Earth has also been licensed in South America and we will close to licensing it in Russia, Turkey and Asia. We are absolutely committed to making it grow across the globe."

While it appears that the game itself is not in trouble, we'll be sure to keep our eye on the situation for further developments.

Fallen Earth team dwindles further, but the game still lives originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 May 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Layoffs confirmed for 38 Studios, Rhode Island takes no action

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 21 May 2012 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Legal, Miscellaneous

If last week's Project Copernicus flythrough had been a hopeful note, the latest news out of 38 Studios is another downturn. Following a meeting today, the Rhode Island EDC board decided to take no action to help the ailing company at this time. Governor Lincoln Chafee said following the meeting that the financial situation of the studio remains unchanged from last week, but did note that the company has seen some layoffs and underwent unspecified internal shifts.

Founder Curt Schilling did not directly respond to press inquiries, stating that he would answer questions when he is able to do so. He did, however, state that he was not taking further taxpayer money. Whether or not there will be a company there to take any money in the near future is still very much in doubt, however, and while Chafee has been a bit more diplomatic about aiding the studio, he has stressed that any assistance would be far on the conservative side.

Layoffs confirmed for 38 Studios, Rhode Island takes no action originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 May 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WAR40K devs laid off, game will no longer be an MMO

Jef Reahard — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Warhammer 40k

The on-again off-again saga of Warhammer 40K is apparently off again, at least in regard to the title's future as an MMORPG. In early February we reported on some rumored THQ financial trouble, but the company later pooh-poohed the concerns and said that WAR40K was still on track.

Today, though, our sister site reports that Dark Millennium Online will axe the online portion of its lengthy moniker and the company will be producing the title as a single-player game going forward. A substantial number of jobs have also been cut, with 79 Vigil Games employees and 39 Relic Entertainment employees receiving pink slips.

WAR40K devs laid off, game will no longer be an MMO originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard announces layoffs of 600 employees worldwide

Matt Daniel — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Economy, MMO industry, News items

Blizzard Entertainment, creator of the perennially popular World of Warcraft, announced today that it would be laying off 600 of its employees worldwide. While Blizzard takes care to note that WoW's development won't be impacted by the layoffs, we find it a bit difficult to take solace in that fact when hundreds of people are losing their jobs.

Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime commented on the layoffs, stating that "Constant evaluation of teams and processes is necessary for the long-term health of any business. Over the last several years, we've grown our organization tremendously and made large investments in our infrastructure in order to better serve our global community. However, as Blizzard and the industry have evolved we've also had to make some difficult decisions in order to address the changing needs of our company." Understandable, perhaps, considering the fluctuating nature of the industry, but we still wish those Blizzard employees hit by the layoffs the very best in their future endeavors. Good luck, folks.

Blizzard announces layoffs of 600 employees worldwide originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GamersFirst sees a management shakeup

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin

GamersFirst is in the minds of gamers for its successful relaunch of APB: Reloaded, which went from a lightning-fast shutdown to a successful free-to-play title. The company is also developing new games based on original IPs for future release. But there's some rumbling going on behind the scenes at the company, as the company's parent corporation, K2 Network, saw the resignation of its CEO, Joshua Hong. Bjorn Book-Larsson, former COO and CTO, has been promoted to the CEO position, with Hong's future uncertain.

The official statements claim that the transition of power was amicable and pre-arranged, but it also comes on the heels of worldwide layoffs from K2 and rumors of a power struggle behind the scenes. Rahul Sandil, the company's public relations chief, claimed that there was no truth to these rumors and that the plan was to move forward from simple localizations of titles developed in foreign markets. Sandil went on to confirm that APB: Reloaded continues to be a large-scale success for the company and that further development will be centered around work that Book-Larsson had already seen during his time as CTO and COO.

GamersFirst sees a management shakeup originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Everything there is to know about Crucible

Brendan Drain — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Dev Diaries, Sandbox

This summer's lackluster Incarna expansion and the ensuing microtransaction drama took a massive toll on EVE Online's player community and development staff. Players were quitting in droves, and CCP eventually had to lay off 20% of its staff worldwide. Two years of half-implemented expansions, broken features, and "first steps" that were never iterated on left players begging for a content-heavy expansion like Apocrypha or those released in EVE's early years. EVE is known for being practically a new game every six months, but since the blockbuster Apocrypha expansion, daily life in New Eden hasn't changed much at all.

To pull things back from the brink, CCP refocused development on EVE Online and gave developers a free pass to work on hundreds of small features and improvements. The company began flooding us with details on new ships, graphical updates, new gameplay mechanics, and desperately needed balance tweaks, and we loved every bit of it. Although it's mostly small features and gameplay tweaks, the Crucible expansion feels like a genuine rebirth for EVE Online. The types of changes made show that CCP knows exactly what players want from EVE and that the company is now willing to deliver it. With CCP's renewed focus on internet spaceships, the Crucible expansion feels like the start of a new era in the sandbox.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I pull together everything there is to know about the Crucible expansion that went live this week, from its turbulent origins to the awesome features and PvP updates it contains.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Everything there is to know about Crucible

EVE Evolved: Everything there is to know about Crucible originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blizzard says mass layoffs are 'just a rumor'

Matt Daniel — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous

Yesterday we ran a rumor that a senior level designer on Blizzard's Titan project, John Staats, had been laid off. We've received confirmation presumably from the man himself that he is no longer working at Blizzard, though the reasons for his firing are unknown. Rumors also ran wild that Blizzard had seen some kind of "mass layoffs," but Bashiok stopped by the forums today to put an end to that, saying, "Hey guys, out of respect for their privacy, we don't discuss individual employees, but the speculation circulating about 'massive layoffs at Blizzard' is just a rumor." Zahrym confirmed this on his personal Twitter account, as well. What Staats' absence will mean for the future of Titan remains to be seen, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we get word.

Blizzard says mass layoffs are 'just a rumor' originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Senior Titan designer laid off by Blizzard

Jef Reahard — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Rumors

The recent spate of MMO industry layoffs isn't discriminating in terms of company size if the latest rumors are true. We've just been informed that one of Blizzard's golden boys has been served his walking papers, joining hundreds of devs from the likes of NCsoft, GamersFirst, GameForge, and CCP in recent weeks.

John Staats, the senior level designer on Blizzard's secretive Titan project, has been let go, according to our tipster. Staats has been with the company for over a decade and is responsible for some of World of Warcraft's most celebrated content including all the raid dungeons, Blackrock Mountain and Booty Bay, and numerous other instanced dungeons.

Staats was also described by Jeff Kaplan as the "hero of the WoW dev team."

[Thanks to Steve for the tip!]

Rumor: Senior Titan designer laid off by Blizzard originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Week in MMO: MechWarrior edition

Brianna Royce — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:45:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Opinion, Humor, Miscellaneous, MechWarrior Online

In this week's TWIMMO, Mike B aka Fony, Josh Allen, and Mike Schaffnit join host Gary Gannon for Gamebreaker.TV's weekly chat about recent MMO stories. They kick things off by pondering how a video stuffed with anti-gay slurs slipped by Blizzard Entertainment (and a lot of the folks in the live crowd, as well) at BlizzCon. They also gush like fanboys about the newly announced F2P MechWarrior Online MMO before spending some airtime on PlanetSide 2, World of Darkness, and RuneScape.

Hit the break for the full show!

Continue reading This Week in MMO: MechWarrior edition

This Week in MMO: MechWarrior edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gameforge laying off 100 employees, canceling at least two games

Jef Reahard — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Miscellaneous

Another month, another round of MMORPG-related layoffs. This time the bad news comes courtesy of Gameforge, a German browser MMO maker responsible for Gates of Andaron as well as the upcoming Star Trek: Infinite Space and the European version of Wizard101.

Gamasutra reports that Gameforge is realigning its studio to the tune of 100 layoffs and the cancellation of at least two games, with Hellbreed and Mythos on the chopping block and Star Trek: Infinite Space not far behind "if it cannot find a co-publisher." The company will do away with its web- and client-based games divisions and restructure itself around separate development and publishing arms.

The news comes on the heels of layoff announcements by CCP, NCsoft, and GamersFirst last month.

Gameforge laying off 100 employees, canceling at least two games originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: GamersFirst on yesterday's layoffs and the future of APB

Jef Reahard — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Business models, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Miscellaneous

It's been a whirlwind couple of days for the folks at GamersFirst. Yesterday we broke the story of layoffs at the company, and today the free-to-play firm has come forward to chat with us about what exactly is going on (and what exactly it's thinking in regard to the new Occupy Free2Play promotion).

We talked with Rahul Sandil, G1's senior vice president of marketing and business development, and he had some interesting things to say about the future of both APB Reloaded and Fallen Earth.

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: GamersFirst on yesterday's layoffs and the future of APB

Massively Exclusive: GamersFirst on yesterday's layoffs and the future of APB originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: GamersFirst lays off 32 staffers, CFO [Updated]

Jef Reahard — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Rumors, Post-Apocalyptic, Miscellaneous

If the rumors are true, today has not been the best of days for MMO industry staffers. Hot on the heels of our NCsoft layoff story comes distressing news for fans of GamersFirst, as we've just received an anonymous tip concerning the apparent dismissal of 32 people from the firm's west coast office.

According to our tipster, "Most of the APB team was let go. A lot of the support staff was let go. The development team was not, to my knowledge, so the game is still being developed in Scotland." We've also been told that GamersFirst's CFO was let go.

We've reached out to G1 for clarification on this story, and as of press time there is no official word on the staffing decisions or how the shake-up will affect Fallen Earth and the rest of the company's free-to-play lineup.

[Updated: Reader alacritythief let us know that GamersFirst's Revoemnag and TechMech have responded to the layoffs in regard to APB's future. Their comments are just behind the break.]

Continue reading Rumor: GamersFirst lays off 32 staffers, CFO [Updated]

Rumor: GamersFirst lays off 32 staffers, CFO [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Layoffs hit NCsoft's North American offices

Jef Reahard — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous

Earlier this morning Massively received an anonymous tip that NCsoft terminated an undisclosed number of employees at its Austin, Brighton, and Seattle offices earlier this month. According to our tipster, "many operations jobs are leaving Austin and being contracted back to Seoul," and there were further layoffs in the quality assurance and billing departments, with "with many more put on 60-day notice."

We contacted NCsoft for an official comment and received the following reply:

"In an effort to put a greater focus on the success of the Western-developed games from NCsoft, and the long-term services MMOs require, we announced a global restructuring to our Western publishing team. To optimize the streamlining efforts, limited functionality is moving to our headquarters in Seoul, and some publishing support has been reduced. As a result, there has been a reduction in force that has impacted less than 2 percent of our global workforce. We remain committed to fully support the development of games from ArenaNet, Carbine Studios and Paragon Studios."

We'll keep you up to date on the situation as it develops and as we learn more.

Layoffs hit NCsoft's North American offices originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP announces new Customer Relations details

Matt Daniel — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox

A couple of days ago, CCP announced that an alarming number of team members had been laid off. Many EVE Online players were understandably concerned about what this might mean for the future of the game. CCP aims to put those concerns to rest with a new dev blog entry released today, which announces that CCP's Community Team has been merged with Customer Support in order to form a new Customer Relations department.

The community team has also been relocated to CCP's Reykjavik offices "and will be working closely with every development team to ensure that players are kept up to date with what is coming to EVE." CCP is aiming to increase communication with players and in the coming weeks, the company intends to begin by bringing out a series of short videos which will focus on what's currently in development for EVE.

For all the nitty-gritty details, head on over to the official post at EVE's site.

CCP announces new Customer Relations details originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP layoffs affect 20% of worldwide staff, company focusing on EVE

Jef Reahard — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, Sci-fi, EVE Online, MMO industry, New titles, News items, World of Darkness, DUST 514, Miscellaneous, Sandbox

Reporting on game industry layoffs is never fun, so we're a bit sobered this morning as we bring you news of CCP's downsizing. The development firm behind EVE Online, DUST 514, and the World of Darkness MMO has just issued a press release stating that it will be trimming approximately 20% of its staff worldwide.

According to CCP Manifest, most of the layoffs will occur in the company's Atlanta, Georgia offices, with select positions at the Reykjavik, Iceland camp also affected.

Manifest says that EVE expansions, DUST, and WoD have stretched CCP's resources too thin, and the company will now "sharpen our focus." In the short term, this means more attention for EVE Online and DUST 514, while World of Darkness will "continue development with a significantly reduced team." Finally, the press release attempts to head off the doomsayers by pointing out the fact that EVE's subscriber numbers are higher than they were this time last year.

[Thanks to everyone who tipped us!]

CCP layoffs affect 20% of worldwide staff, company focusing on EVE originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Entire Faxion Online team laid off

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Rumors, Faxion Online

Although the Faxion Online team has weathered layoffs before, today it looks as though none have survived a recent culling.

According to a forum post citing a former UTV employee, it's rumored that the entire team has been given their pink slips. "It is now officially dead," the unnamed source wrote. "They laid off the rest of the Faxion team, so there is no one left to do anything."

Disney recently bought out UTV Ignition, which oversees Faxion Online, and there was some speculation that the Mouse House might be making cuts in this struggling PvP MMO and elsewhere. So far this is an unconfirmed rumor, and it remains to be seen what impact this will have on Faxion going forward if true.

Rumor: Entire Faxion Online team laid off originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Faxion Online studio hit with layoffs

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Faxion Online

If you're a fan of Faxion Online, the last thing you want to hear about is members of the game's development team getting the axe. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened today -- UTV Ignition has reportedly cut staff from the division responsible for much of the game's programming and maintenance. Exact lists have varied, with Don Choi (vice-president of UTV's online division) claiming that only a small fraction of employees were let go while employees affected have claimed that the majority of the studio has now been cut.

The affected team members have claimed that the game's customer service and support are also being cut and outsourced, while Choi maintains that the game will still be running and receive updates and improvements. Which version of events is the honest one is a bit unclear at the moment, but we offer our condolences to Faxion Online development members affected by these layoffs.

Faxion Online studio hit with layoffs originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The MMO Report: Surprisingly Commando-free edition

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Humor, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous

It's the end of the week, and you know what that means! Not only do we get to ramp up to enjoy a weekend full of gaming, but it's also time for the latest edition of The MMO Report. This week Casey takes a moment to look at World of Warcraft's April Fools' Day prank and tackles the discussion of DPS players paying tanks to tag along so they can get into instance groups faster. On a more somber note, Casey notes the layoffs at Sony Online Entertainment, which resulted in the shuttering of three studios and cancellation of The Agency; he also mentions Square-Enix's games coming back online after the recent tsunami in Japan. Also noted is the upcoming Mortal Online: Dawn expansion, which should offer even more gritty, naked PvP fun for all.

From there, it's all silliness in Uncle Casey's Mailbag -- complete with some RIFT vs. WoW snaps, yet another edition of strange Schreiner shoops, and more silliness. We're also treated to a quick aside that reveals Casey has awesome taste in music -- much like our own. As always, you can check out this week's episode of The MMO Report tucked behind the break for your sanitary protection or over on the G4TV site every Thursday.

The MMO Report: Surprisingly Commando-free edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EverQuest gearing up for more content despite SOE layoffs

Jef Reahard — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, MMO industry, News items

In the wake of last week's layoffs, fans are no doubt wondering which of their favorite Sony Online Entertainment MMOs will be feeling a possible staffing pinch. The company's venerable EverQuest title is apparently safe -- and none the worse for wear -- according to a letter by producer Thom Terrazas that was posted last night on the game's official forums.

Not only will EQ business continue as usual, but the original incarnation of Norrath will be receiving even more content than it has in the past. "We're going to bring you high-level and enjoyable content throughout the year, even more than we have in past years," Terrazas explained, before mentioning the dev team's plans for more frequent seasonal events and the desire to "beef up the gameplay experience" during the spring and summer months.

EverQuest gearing up for more content despite SOE layoffs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Wars Galaxies gets a new community manager

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, MMO industry, Star Wars Galaxies

In a week of transition for SOE, Star Wars Galaxies is changing things up as well. It appears that Community Manager Lydia "Zatozia" Pope is moving to other titles in SOE, making way for her replacement:

"Greetings Star Wars Galaxies players! Zatozia has been a part of your community for quite some time and not only brought mountains of feedback to the Development team, but created some exciting forum activities as well. She has truly made the Star Wars Galaxies community stand out among our products, and we wish her well as she moves to other games within SOE.

"At this time we would also like to introduce your new Community Manager Mepps. An MMO veteran, he looks forward to working with you all and making Star Wars Galaxies one of the best MMO communities to be a part of. Look for him to say hello in the very near future."

We look forward to hearing from Mepps and seeing how he fares in a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars Galaxies gets a new community manager originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Online Entertainment confirms layoffs, studio closings [Updated]

Rubi Bayer — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, The Agency, News items

Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed the rumors that have been circulating since last night in a press release. The company is closing several offices, laying off staff, and discontinuing production of The Agency:

"As part of a strategic decision to reduce costs and streamline its global workforce, SOE announced today that it will eliminate 205 positions and close its Denver, Seattle and Tucson studios. As part of this restructuring, SOE is discontinuing production of The Agency so it can focus development resources on delivering two new MMOs based on its renowned PlanetSide and EverQuest properties, while also maintaining its current portfolio of online games. All possible steps are being taken to ensure team members affected by the transition are treated with appropriate concern.

"This strategic decision will have no impact on SOE's current portfolio of live games; additionally SOE will transition development efforts for the Denver and Tucson studios' suite of products to its San Diego headquarters. This strategic alignment of development resources better positions SOE to remain a global leader in online gaming and deliver on its promise of creating entertaining games for players of all ages, and servicing the 20 million players that visited SOE servers in just the past year."

Massively wishes the best of luck to all those affected by this situation.

[Update: Good news for fans of specific SOE games. SOE's John Smedley has told Planetside-Universe.com that "PlanetSide Next is getting more resources and will be out a little later in the year, but [SOE is] pulling out all the stops to make it great." An official post on the Vanguard forums notes that "there are no plans to sunset the world of Telon so long as its citizens continue to dwell in such sustainable numbers." Likewise, EverQuest players have been told that "EverQuest is not going anywhere." We'll keep you updated as we hear more.]

Sony Online Entertainment confirms layoffs, studio closings [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: SOE to close The Agency studio

Rubi Bayer — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, The Agency, Spy, Rumors

Rumors have been flying since yesterday afternoon that it's the end of the line for The Agency's studio. George Broussard, one of the minds behind the Duke Nukem games, made several announcements on Twitter last night that the studio will be closing today:

Word that Sony Online Entertainment Seattle is having layoffs and that studio closure is possible.

To be more clear, the layoffs may be SOE wide and not just limited to Seattle. So, Austin, San Diego, etc...

SOE Seattle and other studios (Denver is rumored) will be closed tomorrow. Good luck to all impacted.

In addition, Kotaku is reporting that these layoffs could affect nearly one-third of SOE's total staff. Sony Online Entertainment has not released any statement or announcement to confirm this, so it's uncertain whether Broussard has inside information or is merely getting a jump on April Fool's Day. We'll be watching for official word back from SOE, so keep your eye on Massively for more.

Rumor: SOE to close The Agency studio originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NetDevil lays off large portion of its staff [Updated]

Krystalle Voecks — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Jumpgate Evolution, MMO industry, News items, Rumors, LEGO Universe, Family

When it comes to game development, it's somewhat common to see a layoff or realignment of development team members shortly after the release of a title. However, it appears that NetDevil's most recent round of layoffs came as a complete surprise to its employees. After all, the company's most recent release, LEGO Universe, is well past that initial post-launch phase, having gone live back in October 2010, and both Jumpgate Evolution and Fortune Online are (at least supposedly) under development currently at the studio. There are jobs posted on the hiring page, as well.

However, it appears that the developer, owned by Gazillion Entertainment, is on shaky ground as of this morning, according to rumors. The truly horrible thing about this isn't that some developers were laid off -- it's how the affected employees found out. It appears that some of the NetDevil employees were notified that they were going to be laid off via Facebook postings before they were officially contacted by the company, according to a blog posting by Toby Cochran, who worked as a character/creature animator on LEGO Universe. Apparently an image showing a tombstone with the inscription "NetDevil R.I.P. Oct 1997-Feb 2011" started making the rounds on social networking sites shortly thereafter, indicating a far bleaker picture than just that of layoffs.

We've reached out to NetDevil and Gazillion Entertainment for comment on the rumors and what, if anything, it will mean for the development of Jumpgate Evolution and Fortune Online. We'll be sure to update this post as soon as we have further information. In the meantime, we hope that all the talented, hard-working NetDevil employees who were affected are able to land fabulous new well-paying spots elsewhere, continuing to do what they love.

[Update: We received the following statement from NetDevil: "The transition of members of our team to the LEGO Group allows us to conclude the work-for-hire segment of NetDevil's business and lets us expand our internally-published, free-to-play game businesses based on our own properties and licensed properties. Gazillion is wholly focused on developing, operating, and publishing the next generation of browser-delivered games," said David Brevik, President and COO. "We're proud of the LEGO Universe game that our team built, and we are certain that it has a bright future."]

NetDevil lays off large portion of its staff [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More jobs cut from Fallen Earth

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fallen Earth, MMO industry, News items, Post-Apocalyptic

It's always heartbreaking to hear of a company's being required to lay off staff, especially so when it's in a game one really enjoys. Fallen Earth, long a favorite with a handful of the staff members here at Massively, has just laid off three very well-known and well-loved members of its team. The impacted members who have been laid off today are Producer Dave "Archangel" Haydysch, Marketing Director Jessica "Circatrix" Orr, and Director of Content Development Wes "Canticle" Platt.

We reached out to the team over at Fallen Earth, LLC/Icarus Studios for an official statement about the layoffs, considering we saw the last round of layoffs and restructuring in April this year. While there are no greatly illuminating details to the reply, today's announcement, coupled with the prior layoffs, doesn't generally bode well for this gritty indie MMO. For those curious about the team's reply, we've posted it behind the break.

Continue reading More jobs cut from Fallen Earth

More jobs cut from Fallen Earth originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Layoffs hit Paragon Studios

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

A rumor has just broken that Paragon Studios, the team responsible for City of Heroes, has just undergone a round of layoffs. This comes following the launch of Going Rogue, the game's second boxed expansion and center of a major re-arrangement for the game. Among those rumored to be laid off is Christopher Bruce, known to the fans of the game as Back Alley Brawler and the senior animation lead for the studio.

While there have been rumors for some time that the team had been expanding and working on an additional project, possibly a sequel to the now-venerable City of Heroes, it's unknown what long-term impacts these layoffs might have on both the existing game and any future projects. We contacted NCsoft and received official confirmation of the layoffs, but the company thus far has been unable to provide information on who, exactly, has been let go. Our condolences go out to all employees affected by the layoffs.

Layoffs hit Paragon Studios originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ex-APB devs take shots at Realtime Worlds

Jef Reahard — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: News items, All Points Bulletin, Crime

The sordid saga of All Points Bulletin continues, this time via the comments of ex-Realtime Worlds developers who have decided to air their grievances in public. Luke Halliwell, a six-year veteran of the company who worked on both APB and the seminal Xbox 360 open-world actioner Crackdown, minced few words on his personal blog. "There had been mounting discontent internally about the competence of our top management -- and what better proof could you need than this. How they could keep operating the company when they couldn't even pay this month's wages, I don't know. Presumably they continued to think we had a chance somehow; the behaviour of a deluded, greedy, addicted gambler," he writes.

Not to be outdone, an anonymous poster claiming to be a former APB dev posted in the comments of a Rock, Paper, Shotgun article about the studio's implosion, pinning the blame on Realtime Worlds' business model as well as "fairly directionless creative leadership."

Halliwell also mentions APB's troubles as they relate to the onslaught of free-to-play titles flooding the marketplace. "Then a few things happened. Facebook. Farmville. The iPhone. Nintendo's resurgence. Casual gaming. Free-to-play. It started to feel like Realtime Worlds was a massive dinosaur, building these massive things that nobody wanted," he said.

Ex-APB devs take shots at Realtime Worlds originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Realtime Worlds lays off staff, puts APB up for sale [Updated]

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, All Points Bulletin, Rumors

One of the most recent MMOs to hit the market is already in deep trouble, according to multiple reports popping up over the internet. According to unconfirmed rumors, Realtime Worlds has fired the entirety of its MyWorld team, made drastic cuts and layoffs elsewhere, and might be putting APB up for sale. Announced last month, MyWorld was to be a social gaming experience scheduled for a 2011 launch.

If these rumors are true, then Realtime Worlds is mired in financial trouble and is scrambling to keep from going under. A VG247 source reported, "As of 11:30 GMT Realtime Worlds have put a large proportion on their workforce on gardening leave ranging from 4-8 weeks. APB's staff will be reduced to admin and a skeleton staff of devs and artists to keep it running and do general updates, but this looks like the end of RTW."

A developer on the APB European forums briefly addressed the situation by saying, "As we''ve announced we had to restructure the company to make it so that we can focus totally on APB. APB is still going strong and we fully intend to support 100%."

We do know that Realtime Worlds fired several employees last month in an effort to restructure the company. Massively has contacted Realtime Worlds for comment, and we will update you as soon as we hear anything.

[Update: Realtime Worlds has issued a statement confirming that some MyWorld employees, though not all, have been made "redundant," but that APB itself remains intact. "APB continues to be our primary development focus, and we remain fully committed to the game and its players." According to 1UP, Colin Macdonald emphasized that Realtime Worlds has "got the whole team working on making APB as good as it can be. It's a shame things haven't turned out the way we had envisaged them, but then the beauty of online gaming is that we can address problems and keep on improving experiences. We're completely behind APB, it's got huge potential, and we'll continue to make new content for it." Stay tuned for more updates!]

Rumor: Realtime Worlds lays off staff, puts APB up for sale [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earth Eternal facing the prospect of shutdown

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Earth Eternal

There's incredibly bad news today about Earth Eternal, the free-to-play browser-based MMO from Sparkplay Media. Or we should say formerly from Sparkplay Media, as it appears that hard times have hit the company with resounding force. In an extremely sad letter, CEO Matt Mihaly has informed players that Sparkplay Media has been all but shut down, with only two remaining employees (including himself) taking care of closing down the company and trying to sell the game to another service provider.

Although the game is not currently being shut down, Mihaly is frank about its prospects: it entirely depends on whether or not another company will pick up the hosting costs of running Earth Eternal. For the time being, the game has made all of its microtransaction items free for all players, in hopes that whatever the game's ultimate fate, players can enjoy it for a little while longer. Our consolations go out to the team behind the game, and we offer our sympathies for what has no doubt been a painful process for the entire staff.

Earth Eternal facing the prospect of shutdown originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SOE layoffs detailed, EQII and Vanguard affected

Jef Reahard — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, MMO industry, The Agency, News items, Vanguard, Rumors

Layoffs in any industry are never pleasant, and in a smallish community like that of the professional game developer, they can be even more trying. As we reported yesterday, Sony Online Entertainment recently announced the decision to serve 35 employees with their walking papers, and speculation has run rampant in the absence of official information.

Two of the developers now looking for work checked in on the EQ2Flames forum to confirm the news and thank the community for their support. SOE's big-budget fantasy titles look to be the most affected by the moves. EverQuest II loses Brett "Timetravelling" Scheinert, responsible for various raid designs on the Sentinel's Fate expansion. Rumored Vanguard losses include William "Wigin" Bidermann ~~and Jason "Ikik" Weimann~~, as well as Joel "Raijinn" Sasaki, the game's community manager.

Finally, Steve "Saavedra" Kramer, a former EQII designer and most recently working on The Agency, was also let go. SOE also terminated two as-yet unnamed marketing employees.

[Update #2: While we now have confirmation that Jason "Ikik" Weimann was not among those let go (as originally rumored), we're still attempting to clarify the rumored departure of the other Vanguard dev. Joel "Raijinn" Sasaki's departure has been confirmed as well. We'll update the post as soon as we receive additional info.]

SOE layoffs detailed, EQII and Vanguard affected originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Virtual Whirl: A brief history of Second Life, 2008-2010 and beyond

Tateru Nino — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Economy, Opinion, Second Life, Legal, Virtual worlds, The Virtual Whirl

This week, we cover the final installment of our summarized history of Second Life and Linden Lab (check out the first installment or the second, if you missed them). It's only possible to cover a tiny fraction of the events that took place in the space we have here, but the highlights paint an interesting picture.

We'll be working our way from 2008 to June 2010, and looking at what future directions we expect from there.

Continue reading The Virtual Whirl: A brief history of Second Life, 2008-2010 and beyond

The Virtual Whirl: A brief history of Second Life, 2008-2010 and beyond originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Virtual Whirl: The bottom line

Tateru Nino — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Economy, Opinion, Second Life, Virtual worlds, The Virtual Whirl

Hot topic of the week would be the Linden Lab layoffs. 30% of the staff (roughly 110 or so individuals) were laid off this week in a round of layoffs that we spotted ahead of the official announcements. Additional staff have been shed since the beginning of the year.

Staff have been dropped from market-development, business development, engineering, quality assurance, human resources, community and executive management. Hardest hit this week are community and customer-advocacy roles and quality-assurance/testing.

What isn't hard to see is why these cuts were made, and in fact, why they are vital to Linden Lab as a going concern. At least it isn't hard to see when you're looking in the right place.

Continue reading The Virtual Whirl: The bottom line

The Virtual Whirl: The bottom line originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Linden Lab laying off staff, closing Singapore office

Tateru Nino — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Back in April, we observed the departure of what we estimate to be approximately 5% or so of Linden Lab's total headcount. Some churn is to be expected, of course, especially in a tech company. It seemed a little odd that the positions didn't appear to have been advertised or refilled, but sometimes that happens out of sight. Last week, a Lab spokesperson confirmed for us that the Lab still had in excess of 300 staff.

This week, however, we're actually becoming quite concerned as there are signs of what seems to be a significant series of layoffs in progress at Linden Lab.

Continue reading Linden Lab laying off staff, closing Singapore office

Linden Lab laying off staff, closing Singapore office originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The9 invests in Red 5 Studios, Fire Rain [Updated]

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

They may have been burned by Blizzard when they lost World of Warcraft to their rival, NetEase, but The9 isn't out of the fight yet. Especially not when they've just recently backed the troubled Red 5 and Chinese developer Fire Rain with a substantial sum of money.

Gamasutra is reporting that The9 has invested 100 million RMB (14.67 million USD) into Fire Rain, however the number is unconfirmed and neither The9 or Fire Rain are confirming the exact terms of the investment. However, if these reports are accurate, The9 would now have a large majority stake in the company or may have bought the developer outright.

As to the US based Red 5 Studios, having The9 as a new backer may be keeping the studio alive. Last week, we reported that approximately 30 people had been laid off from the studio, and Kotaku has reported that the studio may have even been close to closing their doors.

Red 5 has since "re-evaluated" their position and ~~may be~~ ~~pursuing a game aimed at the Chinese marke~~t.

Update: Red 5's community manager, Matt DeWald, has gotten in contact with us to say that Red 5 is not pursing a game aimed solely at the Chinese market. Red 5's MMO will be aimed at the worldwide market.

The9 invests in Red 5 Studios, Fire Rain [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Red 5 Studios lays off one-third of its staff

Rubi Bayer — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

Their official site reads "Red 5 Studios is seeking highly talented and driven programmers to help us build a AAA massively multiplayer title."

Well, maybe not. A report from Gamasutra gives the news that we never like to hear or report: Red 5 Studios -- founded by former World of Warcraft team members -- has laid off approximately 30 people. This report comes from a "reliable source" close to Red 5, and if the number is accurate, it's nearly a third of their 100-man team. (That figure from a December 2008 interview with CEO Michael Weingartner.)

Red 5 Studios has been around since 2005, and as a rule has stayed very quiet regarding their ambitions for their upcoming MMO. They secured funding in 2006 and made some staff changes in 2008, but it's been mostly silent on the Studio 5 front for the most part, until now.

Our best wishes go out to those affected by the layoff, and to all involved.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in as a tip!]

Update: Red 5 has confirmed and clarified this rumor via a press release announcing the restructuring of the company: "As part of the restructuring, some team members chose to part ways while others were let go."

Rumor: Red 5 Studios lays off one-third of its staff originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2009 from a developer's point of view

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Economy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, Academic

We're finishing up our 2009 Reader's Choice Awards, but that doesn't mean we can't take note of the fact that the last year of the decade hasn't exactly been a stellar years. We've watched a recession hit hard, several games turn the lights off for good, several others lose staff, and generally not had the best of years. And it's something that's even more obvious if you're in the thick of game development. Scott Jennings has taken a few moments to look back at what he sees as the three major developments of 2009: layoffs, Facebook, and microtransactions.

Of course, as someone who had an unpleasant brush with the recession, it's understandable that Jennings wouldn't be predisposed to mention things such as the free-to-play model making large inroads via high-profile titles such as Free Realms and Dungeons and Dragons Online. But the article is interesting as a retrospective of the many south turns the industry took this year, as are his guesses from a year ago regarding what things would look like. Here's hoping that 2010 provides us with slightly better news -- believe it or not, we don't like announcing shutdowns or layoffs any more than you like reading them.

2009 from a developer's point of view originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Producer letter addresses the future of Warhammer Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Warhammer Online, News items, Opinion

It's funny how times change. Not so long ago the most disconcerting thing that players of Warhammer Online players had to deal with were the numerous changes introduced in patch 1.3.2. Now, however, the recent layoffs that have hit EA and Mythic are far more worrisome. Executive producer Jeff Hickman has taken the time to try and assuage the community fears with a recent letter to the community regarding the future of Mythic's franchises and the game's ensuing viability. Hickman doesn't address the layoffs directly, instead using the letter simply to try and reinforce the image that the game is going to continue and keep being improved upon.

The letter becomes a bit more unsettling when Hickman calls the response to the aforementioned patch 1.3.2 "great." It's quite likely nothing negative is going to happen to Warhammer Online, as it has been making an earnest effort to turn around a disappointing first year, but time hasn't yet healed the wound of "triple A and here to stay." Different companies and different games, but it's fresh in our collective memory, and only time will tell what the ultimate impact of recent events will be upon WAR.

Producer letter addresses the future of Warhammer Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Is Warhammer Online doomed?

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

With yesterday's news of layoffs at Mythic, the MMO blogosphere is on fire with speculation and opinions. According to many, everything is to blame for these staff cuts, from World of Warcraft to software piracy. In the worst job market in almost 30 years, we can't help but think the recession plays a large part. Despite the reasons for these layoffs and "restructuring" by EA, there's always that underlying fear that Warhammer Online may be the next victim.

But we want to know what you think, faithful readers. Do you think WAR is doomed, or is this "restructuring" (along with the recent news of an unlimited free trial) part of a plan to ultimately save the game?

The Daily Grind: Is Warhammer Online doomed? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gazillion layoffs hit Romero's Slipgate Ironworks

Kyle Horner — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

Whatever Gazillion Entertainment's secret mastermind plot is, their next step has been to create an unfortunate situation for a suspected 50 now ex-employees at Slipgate Ironworks. The reasoning? According to Gazillion, "As part of our focus on reaching the widest possible audiences with breakthrough MMO entertainment, we decided to change the format of our project at Slipgate Ironworks to better achieve this aim," So, whatever unannounced MMO the team was working on is now canned, it would seem.

At least there's a silver lining, in some sense. Gazillion also stated, "-the other Slipgate staff are already in discussions around the many open positions across our slate of projects." You know what? We'd make another world conquering joke here, but that'd be too easy. Instead, we're just going to sit in our chair, pet our cat and sip this lovely whipped latte. Oh, whoops, guess we just can't help ourselves sometimes.

Seriously though, next year is going to be interesting, because the official statement alludes to something being released from the publisher next year. Unless they're just talking about Jumpgate Evolution -- at least, we hope that comes out by next year -- and then we're not really sure why they just didn't say as much.

Gazillion layoffs hit Romero's Slipgate Ironworks originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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