[Tiktaalik]

A little bird told me that Funcom has laid off around 50-60% of their employees world wide today.

[Bizazedo]

Illuminati Conspiracy.

But if so, that sucks, never like to see it happen. Even if some of their prior games were wrecks initially.

[Lactose_Intolerant]

I'm not really shocked, unless you sell gang busters and can retain subs, you probably are going to have too many customer service people and devs working on your games.

[kirblar]

Sadly unsurprising.

[BattleMonkey]

So Secret World f2p soon?

[Syril]

Goddammit Funcom! Don't you leave Dreamfall hanging!

[AdrianWerner]

I wonder how many MMO flops will it take for funcom to finally try other genres again.

[DidntKnowJack]

Read thread title as "Funcoland laid off..."

Always sucks when this happens. Effing economy.

[DaBuddaDa]

Someone call George Broussard!

But really, sorry to hear it. I was expecting this to happen after the CEO left and The Secret World was publicly declared a flop.

[not_so_special]

Have some of my pupils there,im sorry for them ;(

[Htown]

Sucks for them. They put together what seems like a damn good game in the Secret World.

Unfortunately, the market has moved on from the subscription model.



PS Elder Scrolls online is FUUUUUUUUUUCKED.

[Slayven]

I am starting to think it is severe mismanagement killing companies not the industry.

[LiK]

Maybe it's time to get back to working on a point-click adventure game.

[Mithos]

Maybe it's time to get back to working on a point-click adventure game.

Yeah like eh-um, perhaps the Dreamfall Episodes?

[LiK]

Yeah like eh-um, perhaps the Dreamfall Episodes?

exactly

[Acidote]

I didn't even notice The Secret World was released already.

[wrowa]

From what I've played (which is admittedly not much), Secret World seemed like a really cool game with quite a nice setting. Sadly, it also made the impressions to be more of a single-player game that somehow ended up being an MMO. It's kinda hard to convince me to pay a monthly fee for it.

... But in this particular case I'm not sure if F2P would be a solution either. The problem seems to be in the games' roots.

[BattleMonkey]

From what I've played (which is admittedly not much), Secret World seemed like a really cool game with quite a nice setting. Sadly, it also made the impressions to be more of a single-player game that somehow ended up being an MMO. It's kinda hard to convince me to pay a monthly fee for it. ... But in this particular case I'm not sure if F2P would be a solution either. The problem seems to be in the games' roots.

It feels like a single player game with quest design that fits it. As a MMO it just doesn't feel right really. It is probably the best MMO when it comes to quest desgin, some really fun ideas and unique quest types, but it never feels like I'm playing a MMO or want to be.

[ced]

Busy week.

[tirminyl]

A little bird told me that Funcom has laid off around 50-60% of their employees world wide today.

Varys?

Never played the beta of Secret World but I am very interested. I just can't commit to paying another monthly subscription.

Hope these guys and gals land on their feet.

[TheOddOne]

The curse of the EA partner scheme.

[navanman]

But I needed my Dreamfall sequel,NO NO NO!

[Truant]

Glad I didn't go for a job there. I was this close to doing it. Sucks for those who got laid off.

[Lime]

Only option: Dreamfall 2 kickstarter. STAT!

[Cjdamon042]

Sadly this isn't surprising. From what I played of The Secret World's beta it seemed like a fun game, but probably more fun to play as a single player experience and not as an MMO. Which I'm guessing is the problem as people might find it difficult to pay a subscription for a game like that. But I can't say for sure as I only played the beta for a little while.

Honestly I think they need to go back to non-MMO titles. While I would love a sequel to Dreamfall (dat ending...), I don't think that would do them many favours either. Then again, maybe it would. I'm not really sure how many people would want one.

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Goddammit Funcom! Don't you leave Dreamfall hanging!

:( gimme mye ending before you leave the building Tornquist!!!

[Hari Seldon]

They really need to stop making MMOs. If you are not going to massively innovate, then wait for someone to do it and then copy the innovation before it gets stale. This MMO style we are on is still EQ1 shit. No amount of slick quest design is going to fix the fatigue with this.

[kirblar]

From what I've played (which is admittedly not much), Secret World seemed like a really cool game with quite a nice setting. Sadly, it also made the impressions to be more of a single-player game that somehow ended up being an MMO. It's kinda hard to convince me to pay a monthly fee for it. ... But in this particular case I'm not sure if F2P would be a solution either. The problem seems to be in the games' roots.

Amazing setting, great concept, awful controls/combat.

[Computer]

So Secret World f2p soon?

I came in to post this.

[GrayFoxPL]

Not so fun now huh?

[Truant]

Not so fun now huh?

Ice cold

[derFeef]

That sucks if true :(
Loving TSW.

Not so fun now huh?

Screw you.

They really need to stop making MMOs. If you are not going to massively innovate, then wait for someone to do it and then copy the innovation before it gets stale. This MMO style we are on is still EQ1 shit. No amount of slick quest design is going to fix the fatigue with this.

TSW is very different from other MMO's. Seems like too different for people.

[AlphaTwo00]

Terrible industry news continues in 2012...

[Wanchan]

Online subscription + Cash shop in the same game, never do that again.

[Elginer]

I hope they recover. From what I played of TSW it's a pretty damn good game. Not enough for me to pay monthly as I refuse to pay monthly for any game after dropping 64 bucks on it but maybe they can go a Guild Wars 2 route or something.

[MrNyarlathotep]

They really need to stop making MMOs. If you are not going to massively innovate, then wait for someone to do it and then copy the innovation before it gets stale. This MMO style we are on is still EQ1 shit. No amount of slick quest design is going to fix the fatigue with this.

I haven't actually tried TSW, but everything I've seen looks a lot more innovative than something like, say, Rift

[GhaleonQ]

Yeah, as much as I appreciated it (3rd genuine involvement in an online game ever!), you should not be targeting me with your costly role-playing game. Good luck to all, at least.

[Cystm]

TSW is very different from other MMO's. Seems like too different for people.

Not really... The clunky controls and poorly done animations are keeping this game down. Interesting story elements, but the game play is just not well done.

[derFeef]

Not really... The clunky controls and poorly done animations are keeping this game down. Interesting story elements, but the game play is just not well done.

No idea what the controls and animations have to do with it being very different.
Granted you either hate or just roll with the combat and skill system, but TSw sticks out in so many other ways.

[Htown]

They really need to stop making MMOs. If you are not going to massively innovate, then wait for someone to do it and then copy the innovation before it gets stale. This MMO style we are on is still EQ1 shit. No amount of slick quest design is going to fix the fatigue with this.

I think the real problem is that none of these MMOs are actually MMOs.

[derFeef]

Do we know what Studio?
Montreal, Norway, Shanghai,...?

edit: well twitter already has it.
https://twitter.com/Rostvaag/status/237980973604679680

Hope they recover, that is really a shame.

[Lime]

Judging from the screenshots I've seen of the Secret World, I would have loved for the game to a single player game with an optional multiplayer component. Too bad many companies have bet the farm on subscription-based MMO's (except for EA).

[Necrovex]

I wonder how many MMO flops will it take for funcom to finally try other genres again.

Or to return to The Longest Journey franchise and actually complete the trilogy.

[glaurung]

This is horrendous!

I was holding off on The Secret World until the first big patches would hit, but this news might mean I will never invest in a product that is going to be dead within a year.

Very bad news.

[Cystm]

No idea what the controls and animations have to do with it being very different. Granted you either hate or just roll with the combat and skill system, but TSw sticks out in so many other ways.

Oh, no. It has to do with you saying:

TSW is very different from other MMO's. Seems like too different for people.

In response to:

They really need to stop making MMOs. If you are not going to massively innovate, then wait for someone to do it and then copy the innovation before it gets stale. This MMO style we are on is still EQ1 shit. No amount of slick quest design is going to fix the fatigue with this.

The reason why I could not get into this game is the bad controls and awful animations, which is really to say the overall quality of the game is simply just not on par with other MMO's.

The story is really interesting in certain parts, and some of the encounters are really great, but I just could not get around the fundamental mechanics of the game being so flawed all while being so deep and well done in certain areas. Such as I really liked the ability wheel and crafting, but could not stand the controls or watching this cutscene play out that was interesting in concept but so poorly executed, that it felt jarring.

[WonkersTHEWatilla]

Goddammit Funcom! Don't you leave Dreamfall hanging!

Yeah like eh-um, perhaps the Dreamfall Episodes?

But I needed my Dreamfall sequel,NO NO NO!

Only option: Dreamfall 2 kickstarter. STAT!

Honestly I think they need to go back to non-MMO titles. While I would love a sequel to Dreamfall (dat ending...), I don't think that would do them many favours either. Then again, maybe it would. I'm not really sure how many people would want one.

[Pikma]

I don't give a @#$% about what you do, Funcom, I don't even care if you have no money, I don't know how you're going to do it, but I want you to hire again your lost employees and exploit them, torture them, and put them to work on Dreamfall Chapters, burn them down if necessary, but I want my Dreamfall Chapters and I want them for 2013.

[DyTonic]

Terrible industry news continues in 2012...

RIP to bad business.

[Klyka]

BRING US DREAMFALL AND WE WILL SAVE YOUR SHITTY COMPANY!

COME ON!

[derFeef]

Man you guys are classy.

This is really a shitty day.
PopCap
Funcom
Nintendo Power going away...