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Curt Schilling's '38 Studios' lays off entire staff, Big Huge Games to be closed

T

Tallshortman

Member
That's sad, Big Huge had some good talent and from the looks of the leaked screens 38 had some good artistic direction at least. I feel like this project was grossly mishandled by upper level management. Curt Schilling I hope you come out against yourself for taking and mismanaging taxpayer money since you like to model yourself a financial conservative.
 
P

piratepwnsninja

Member
http://blogs.wpri.com/2012/05/24/38-studio-lays-off-its-entire-staff/

38 Studios laid off all its employees in Providence and Maryland this afternoon, several sources tell WPRI 12. Here is the full text of the email the company sent workers:

The Company is experiencing an economic downturn. To avoid further losses and possibility of retrenchment, the Company has decided that a companywide lay off is absolutely necessary.

These layoffs are non-voluntary and non-disciplinary.

This is your official notice of lay off, effective today, Thursday, May 24th, 2012.

The company had 379 full-time employees at its two studios as of March 15. More details as they become available.
Click to expand...
 
Risible

Risible

Member
AnEternalEnigma said:
I guess Schilling won't be posting on Gaf anymore.
Click to expand...

Why not? He was our bestest buddy!

Fuck that guy. He made sure he got paid back for his loan to the company while his employees didn't get paid for weeks and are suddenly out of insurance. Yet another douchebag tough-talking right winger who shafts the people under him. He'll be fine - the people that trusted him, not so much.
 
S

Seda

Member
According to Giant bomb, this the the email employees got today.

The Company is experiencing an economic downturn. To avoid further losses and possibility of retrenchment, the Company has decided that a companywide lay off is absolutely necessary.

These layoffs are non-voluntary and non-disciplinary.

This is your official notice of lay off, effective today, Thursday, May 24th, 2012.
Click to expand...

Edit: beat twice
 
C

CecilRousso

Member
So is the the end of companies chasing the WoW MMO success dream now, with 38 Studios closing, The Old Republic not living up to expectations and THQ changing their Warhammer MMO to a non MMO type of game?
 
Wag

Wag

Member
RI Governor news conference. Essentially says they have no confidence in the company. No communication. They have yet to be told about the layoffs at this moment. LOL
 
D

Dartastic

Member
Risible said:
Yes, that's the correct take-away from the news that 400 people lost their jobs.
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...there's sarcasm in there. It's in bad taste, sorry. I know people that work there, so trust me, I'm not exactly happy about this either. I was really pulling for them. The studio is insanely talented.
 
D

Derrick01

Banned
Projectjustice said:
So whats the reasons for Studio 38 did so bad?
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Signing an unrealistic agreement with Rhode Island that made them have to hire something like 700 people, making a decent budget HD game while working on an expensive MMO at the same time, aforementioned decent budget HD game only selling a million copies or so. All of that led to them not being able to pay back the state and shafting their workers.
 
A

Alchemy

Member
Risible said:
Why not? He was our bestest buddy!

Fuck that guy. He made sure he got paid back for his loan to the company while his employees didn't get paid for weeks and are suddenly out of insurance. Yet another douchebag tough-talking right winger who shafts the people under him. He'll be fine - the people that trusted him, not so much.
Click to expand...

But he worked harder at fucking everyone under him then everyone else, so why shouldn't he make money? Right? Riiiiiiiight?
 
F

Fine Ham Abounds

Member
Man, every press conference devolves into a CYA session. Only real news seems to be that the government is as out of the loop as the employees have been.
 
L

LiK

Member
Live press conference with RI gov and other state officials on the local news...

052412173905.jpg
 
C

CosmicQueso

Member
Risible said:
Why not? He was our bestest buddy!

Fuck that guy. He made sure he got paid back for his loan to the company while his employees didn't get paid for weeks and are suddenly out of insurance. Yet another douchebag tough-talking right winger who shafts the people under him. He'll be fine - the people that trusted him, not so much.
Click to expand...

So dude tried to start a new company, employing hundreds of people, dedicating himself to building something great and directly communicating with fans but because it didn't work, "Fuck that guy."?

He dared to start something and build it. He, and the hundreds of employees he worked with, busted their butts to create this world. I'm glad he did, and I'm very glad I purchased his game at $60 because, for all its flaws, it was a hell of a fun game.

But that's right, "Fuck that guy."

Edit: And don't do the whole Occupy, 1% nonsense. The employees had two job fairs happen this week, one from Turbine, hoping to snap them all up. It's games, people move around a lot. They did miss out on a month, which is very unfortunate. But they'll be better off than most, and they have been employed for quite a while at 38. Finally, of course Schill had the financing worked out so he'd be protected. The state offered the $75 million loan didn't they? He'd have been crazy to turn that down. But without that loan, the studio would never have been created, and none of the jobs would have been around to be lost. It sucks all around, but it's a lot deeper than "Fuck that guy".
 
D

Derrick01

Banned
CosmicQueso said:
So dude tried to start a new company, employing hundreds of people, dedicating himself to building something great and directly communicating with fans but because it didn't work, "Fuck that guy."?

He dared to start something and build it. He, and the hundreds of employees he worked with, busted their butts to create this world. I'm glad he did, and I'm very glad I purchased his game at $60 because, for all its flaws, it was a hell of a fun game.

But that's right, "Fuck that guy."
Click to expand...

You need to read up on the things he said and did during this whole thing.
 
P

Patryn

Member
CosmicQueso said:
So dude tried to start a new company, employing hundreds of people, dedicating himself to building something great and directly communicating with fans but because it didn't work, "Fuck that guy."?

He dared to start something and build it. He, and the hundreds of employees he worked with, busted their butts to create this world. I'm glad he did, and I'm very glad I purchased his game at $60 because, for all its flaws, it was a hell of a fun game.

But that's right, "Fuck that guy."
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He's responsible for costing Rhode Island taxpayers nearly $200 million with no return.
 
T

Tylahedras

Banned
just finished about 10 hours of amalur. flawed but really fun loot game, I hope someone tries to make a sequel.

ps It's better then diablo 3. suck it blizzard.
 
D

demolitio

Member
Risible said:
Why not? He was our bestest buddy!

Fuck that guy. He made sure he got paid back for his loan to the company while his employees didn't get paid for weeks and are suddenly out of insurance. Yet another douchebag tough-talking right winger who shafts the people under him. He'll be fine - the people that trusted him, not so much.
Click to expand...

Amazing how people can spin everything right back to politics. So tolerant aren't you? I don't think screwing people over is mutually exclusive to one side or the other.

I'm bummed since that MMO looked good. Insanely good art style.
 
A

Alchemy

Member
CosmicQueso said:
So dude tried to start a new company, employing hundreds of people, dedicating himself to building something great and directly communicating with fans but because it didn't work, "Fuck that guy."?

He dared to start something and build it. He, and the hundreds of employees he worked with, busted their butts to create this world. I'm glad he did, and I'm very glad I purchased his game at $60 because, for all its flaws, it was a hell of a fun game.

But that's right, "Fuck that guy."
Click to expand...

He dared to redistribute wealth from Rhode Island tax payers (despite being against redistribution of wealth), and mismanaged the hell out his company. I don't think anyone is bagging on the employees who tried to create an awesome game, but the leadership at the top of 38 Studios screwed things up bad and have left those developers jobless.

So yeah, "Fuck that guy."
 
S

SteveWinwood

Member
So should I grab Kingdoms off steam really quick? The publisher (Big huge self published on steam right?) is now dissolved so what will happen with that game? Who will get the money?
 
C

Commanche Raisin Toast

Member
i will be disappointed if i don't see any articles soon about other studios claiming to be scooping up some of these layoffs. don't think all the worker bees really deserved this.
 
G

Gunsmithx

Member
This has me really bummed, partly because I really wanted a reckoning squeal but mostly for all those no without a job and trying to find one, here's hoping they all land on their feet.

even sadder if KoA sold 1.2 million. Making that MMO should have been the last step in building the universe not the first.
 
B

border

Member
Is anyone watching the livestream? It sounds like the Rhode Island government is planning on bailing these guys out. They are talking about making the company solvent, and making excuses for how much all this is going to cost.
 
A

Alchemy

Member
Commanche Raisin Toast said:
i will be disappointed if i don't see any articles soon about other studios claiming to be scooping up some of these layoffs. don't think all the worker bees really deserved this.
Click to expand...

We had internal emails about scavenging talent from 38 about a week ago, I bet talk like that is circulating around many studios right now. They just won't go public with it.
 
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