Just the steam version, EA publishes the rest.
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Curt Schilling's '38 Studios' lays off entire staff, Big Huge Games to be closed
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Just the steam version, EA publishes the rest.
Microsoft is not in the mood for game right now.
Windows 8 launch is right around the corner.
You said performance and income are directly related to CEOs. They are clearly not. Many ceos make alot while their companies go belly up.
Damn. Just came across this.
That really bums me out.
I thought Amalur was really awesome, and a great intro to a promising new IP. Very few new developers can come out with their first game being as ambitious as it is, and yet it had very few real problems (console version for me: PS3), and was surprisingly polished.
I hope those affected by this (especially the people at the bottom of the financial pyramid) can get back on their feet. I've been laid off from gaming jobs too many times to count, and it is not fun, especially having a wife to support.
That really bums me out.
I thought Amalur was really awesome, and a great intro to a promising new IP. Very few new developers can come out with their first game being as ambitious as it is, and yet it had very few real problems (console version for me: PS3), and was surprisingly polished.
I hope those affected by this (especially the people at the bottom of the financial pyramid) can get back on their feet. I've been laid off from gaming jobs too many times to count, and it is not fun, especially having a wife to support.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
It bad enough that all these good people had to move out to Rhode fucking Island to work.
The stipulations of that loan were kind of insane for a game dev to take up. 450 jobs? How many jobs does a dev that size even need to get the work done, like a quarter of that? The culprits here are the last RI governor and co. who decided this was a good investment, and Schilling for thinking his MMO had a chance in 2010 when he should have been responsible enough to know the loan was a huge mistake.
The stipulations of that loan were kind of insane for a game dev to take up. 450 jobs? How many jobs does a dev that size even need to get the work done, like a quarter of that? The culprits here are the last RI governor and co. who decided this was a good investment, and Schilling for thinking his MMO had a chance in 2010 when he should have been responsible enough to know the loan was a huge mistake.
BruiserBear
Banned
This studio had to be horribly mismanaged to blow through all that money, and have so little to show for it.
389 people is a massive games studio, and you should only have that many people working on a monstrously successful franchise.
389 people is a massive games studio, and you should only have that many people working on a monstrously successful franchise.
i said performance and paying well is related to having good leadership. what, you think someone who has the talent and skill of being a good leader is going to be happy making 80k for a video game company when they can make 200k at another company?
Paying well for a CEO is a good example. Case in point. Look at what happened with Disney before Eisner left, and after Eisner left for the CEO after him. Yeah, they're examples of bad CEOs that bankrupt their companies, but they're the exception, not the rule.
Remember, there are more companies than just the Fortune 500
A team that big should be working on three AAA games, let alone a single MMO.
graywolf323
Member
well this just sucks 
SafeinSound
Member
God damn shame. Hope these people find work ASAP.
BruiserBear
Banned
It's been said the Assassins's Creed games are touched by that many people, but that's also because many of those people touch the game on a part time basis, at various intervals of the dev cycle.
ElectricThunder
Member
I'm presuming there's little hope for a future fan patching in the wake of it looking like official support is not happening ala how people have came together to Keep On for, say, most(all?) of the Troika games that got released buggy?
I've not seen any discussion as to the kind of tech the game was built on though.
I've not seen any discussion as to the kind of tech the game was built on though.
piratepwnsninja
Member
AC has been over 500 people at times, but that's generally near the end of the dev cycle when Ubi is pulling in people from their other studios to help get it done.
darkjedi187
Member
Really unfortunate for both 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. KoA is a great game.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Feel awful for everyone who's lost their jobs, especially after reading that health insurance story. That's horrible. I hope they find work as soon as possible.
I still have Amalur sitting in my to-do pile. I should give it whirl since I bought on the basis that the game's art looked so pretty and my friends were saying that they enjoyed it.
I still have Amalur sitting in my to-do pile. I should give it whirl since I bought on the basis that the game's art looked so pretty and my friends were saying that they enjoyed it.
JunkYardSubs
Banned
Damn damn damn.
It is kind of funny how the only two people I know to be involved with the studio are named Rich and Schilling though
It is kind of funny how the only two people I know to be involved with the studio are named Rich and Schilling though
Risible
Member
I'm never one to bring politics into things. However, Schilling was so vocal with is political opinions and was very vocal with his conservative beliefs.
However, once the rubber met the road it turned out that those things apply to *other people*, not Schilling.
Had a liberal done the same thing I'd be more than happy to throw his words back in his face as well.
grandjedi6
Master of the Google Search
Ah the aptness of life soemtimes
I'm pretty sure that Reckoning was not meant to net a positive profit. That game was in development for a while, and there's no way that the game was also expected to recoup the expenses of buying BHG. The game was meant to build brand awareness for the MMO, and I'm assuming that if it did well they would have developed Reckoning 2.
BolognaOni
Member
Man, major bummer for those involved. Hate to see companies go down like this. It may be something malicious, but it also may just be people at the top not dealing with the stress of running a failing business well enough. I don't think it excuses it, but I do think it happens a lot.
I do wonder what kind of business plan they showed to RI to convince them that this was a good idea though. $4m a month for a 379 person company is not really all that much. Remember in addition to salary you've got benefits, payroll taxes, plus all your building costs...
This just seems really optimistic to try and launch a new IP with a team that big, and not much other than debt to back it up...
I do wonder what kind of business plan they showed to RI to convince them that this was a good idea though. $4m a month for a 379 person company is not really all that much. Remember in addition to salary you've got benefits, payroll taxes, plus all your building costs...
This just seems really optimistic to try and launch a new IP with a team that big, and not much other than debt to back it up...
mdtauk
Member
I am not familiar with many of the staff working for BHG and 38 Studio, but one guy I am familiar with is Mr Grant Kirkhope - Composer on games such as Banjo Kazooie and Tooie, Perfect Dark, Viva Piñata etc
I would like to see Grant Kirkhope join David Wise and together they could both go freelance. But even better would be for Grant to find a new permanent place to call home.
I would like to see Grant Kirkhope join David Wise and together they could both go freelance. But even better would be for Grant to find a new permanent place to call home.
Crazymoogle
Member
Until 38 officially folds, 38 still collects the income.
And after that?
Probably either Rhode Island, who will own the IP assuming the loan is not repaid, or the company that purchased 38 and paid off the loan.
Crazymoogle
Member
The RI government takes control of the IP, so any income there would go to them (unless EAP gets a cut due to some existing contract nonsense).
However, can't recall if it's their legal impetus or not but as I understand it they would need to sell the IP and content ASAP via auction.
Technically true, but unless RI made a horrible mistake (well, *another* horrible mistake) in the terms of their loan agreement, the purchaser would be bound by the same terms as 38 studios and such a repayment would need to be an amendment - else the purchaser would be subject to the same employment requirement terms that will become increasingly expensive over time.
I've a few pages behind the curve here, but I did want to clarify that obviously I'm sympathetic to those that lost their jobs. But also, I think it's good that they were dissolved now instead of getting an additional grant from Rhode Island and potentially squandering more money.
Crazymoogle
Member
Basic politics; governments are generally motivated - either by law to sell immediately, or by pressure not to sit on something that can be turned into money - not to own commercial ventures like this. It's in their best interest to sell as soon as possible, as otherwise the property simply loses value over time. Even a million dollars now is better than nothing.
Infinite Justice
Member
YO DAMN
KibblesBits
Member
Chafee isn't giving the studio any more money.
CommonSense
Banned
Hey GAF....welcome to the real world. There are no magical snowflakes here.
Sucks for the employees....best of luck to you all!
Sucks for the employees....best of luck to you all!
Quicksilver4648
Member
If your game needed to sell 3 million units just to break ever and your name isn't Rockstar or Blizzard then you are just asking to fail. The budget for this game must have been insanely huge. Their game sold over 1 million, which is really good. Developers dream to have their project sell that well. But, even then it wasn't enough.
That sucks... I hope somebody buys up the Rise of Nations and Kingdoms of Amalur IPs. It's too bad that KoA failed, but I'm not overly surprised. A lot of people were still probably playing the copies of Skyrim they'd received in November or around Christmas. The time to release something like that is between June and August, when there's no heavy competition. I haven't bought any DLC for it, but the pirate one looks fun.
CommonSense
Banned
Also....as a guy who owns a business....the blame is at the Schilling/CEO (who booked early, wussy) level. One doesn't simply walk into gaming.
Unless you're a Microsoft millionaire.
Zero-Crescent
Member
Except for the fact that there's no correlation between executive pay and shareholder returns.
http://blogs.hbr.org/ashkenas/2010/06/rethinking-the-assumptions-beh.html
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/02/focus-0
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_20/b4178070113216.htm
CommonSense
Banned
HE hired the right team....
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
And he also didn't try to dev the gaming equivalent of a financial black hole, while putting tax payers at risk when he knew things weren't going well. Grrr.
I do love the Gabe Newell story though. Maybe Curt got delusional about repeating it.
CommonSense
Banned
Hell, fame is blinding...even to your (i think) policy makers. Chalk it up as a shit idea....at the very least they tried to think outside the box.
QueenOfThorns
Member
That's awful. I hope everyone there can find work soon. Especially Grant. The soundtrack was the best thing about KoA.
Attackthebase
Member
I remember how supportive I was with Curt when Reckoning came out. But now his idiotic ways fucked 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. I feel bad for the employees and Rhode Island, but I have no sympathy for Schilling. Fuck that man.
1.2 million is a fantastic number for a new IP. If it wasn't for the mismanagement of funds (and the MMO), hundreds of employees would still have their jobs.
1.2 million is a fantastic number for a new IP. If it wasn't for the mismanagement of funds (and the MMO), hundreds of employees would still have their jobs.
Isn't hundreds of employees kind of big for a single-IP studio?