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[Draugoth]

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Sledgehammer Games will be closing its main office in California to relocate to a smaller office space, Insider Gaming has learned.

Following on from today’s news that Microsoft has laid off 1900 employees from Activision Blizzard, Insider Gaming understands that 30% of Sledgehammer Games employees have been laid off.

 

[Flabagast]

MS turns into shit everyting it touches (also some would argue Acti Blizzard was already shit to begin with)

 

[diffusionx]

I call them Shithammer for a reason.

But it seems like MS is changing a lot in how this company does business.

 

[OverHeat]

Wtf is Microsoft doing….

 

[Del_X]

Honestly maybe fuck them idk. Sorry for their loss of a job but jfc. Has their output ever been stellar?

 

[Represent.]

 

[kikkis]

Yeah, but spencer is a saint and a true gamer and kotick was a fucking asshole.

 

[azertydu91]

MS turns into shit everyting it touches (also some would argue Acti Blizzard was already shit to begin with)

Well one of their head is Matt Booty, not Matt Midas.

 

[SlimySnake]

Honestly maybe fuck them idk. Sorry for their loss of a job but jfc. Has their output ever been stellar?

Advanced warfare, cod ww2, CoD vanguard, modern warfare 2. 4 games in 9 years.

 

[Mr Moose]

I mean... They are shit at their jobs, but still.

Advanced warfare, cod ww2, CoD vanguard, modern warfare 2. 4 games in 9 years.

Did you mean Modern Warfare 2.5?

 

[Del_X]

Advanced warfare, cod ww2, CoD vanguard, modern warfare 2. 4 games in 9 years.

Maybe I'm just not a cowadoody guy.

 

[Alebrije]

Sony should hire some of them to develop it's COD contender......

 

[T4keD0wN]

Its a bloodbath, why even buy them if this is their plan for them?

 

[Mr Moose]

Sony should hire some of them to develop it's COD contender......

 

[azertydu91]

Maybe I'm just not a cowadoody guy.

How about being a cowabunga guy?

 

[Astray]

Lol immediately fucking with the COD machine.

How long until Kotick returns to buy back the company for a song?

 

[AV]

Crazy how only yesterday was I listening to Jeff Gerstmann talking about a GamesIndustry.biz article about how 2024/5 will be ruthless for the industry with closures and layoffs.

 

[DaciaJC]

Nearly a third axed from one of the main studios in the CoD-making machine is insane.

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

Crazy how only yesterday was I listening to Jeff Gerstmann talking about a GamesIndustry.biz article about how 2024/5 will be ruthless for the industry with closures and layoffs.

Not just games, tech in general are ‘right sizing’ furiously. I have a friend who works in tech who just got a promotion… first job, fire half the team, (yay)

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Nearly a third axed from one of the main studios in the CoD-making machine is insane.

I doubt that this was all developers. They're probably streamlining the company and will probably push them to become a CoD support studio rather than work on a full independent game after the next cycle.

The question is whether CoD will remain an annual release or under GamePass they don't need it to be.

 

[Bernoulli]

It's over for call of duty

 

[ManaByte]

The worst COD studio.

 

[diffusionx]

Nearly a third axed from one of the main studios in the CoD-making machine is insane.

They shouldn't be releasing a full COD every year, the games are not good enough anymore and nothing else operate in this way anymore. It should just be a live service game with a campaign whenever it is ready. Shithammer's games were also by far the weakest of the three, although the fact that it happened for so long is on Activision.

I wouldn't be surprised if MS is planning to reorganize the entire operation, and it's badly needed.

 

[DaciaJC]

I doubt that this was all developers. They're probably streamlining the company and will probably push them to become a CoD support studio rather than work on a full independent game after the next cycle.

The question is whether CoD will remain an annual release or under GamePass they don't need it to be.

They shouldn't be releasing a full COD every year, the games are not good enough anymore and nothing else operate in this way anymore. It should just be a live service game with a campaign whenever it is ready. Shithammer's games were also by far the weakest of the three, although the fact that it happened for so long is on Activision.

I wouldn't be surprised if MS is planning to reorganize the entire operation, and it's badly needed.

True, if this is an indication that CoD will finally (belatedly) move away from its current annual release model, then downsizing makes sense.

 

[Bernoulli]

They shouldn't be releasing a full COD every year, the games are not good enough anymore and nothing else operate in this way anymore. It should just be a live service game with a campaign whenever it is ready. Shithammer's games were also by far the weakest of the three, although the fact that it happened for so long is on Activision.

I wouldn't be surprised if MS is planning to reorganize the entire operation, and it's badly needed.

2 or 3 years cycle is needed

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

I call them Shithammer for a reason.

I mean... They are shit at their jobs, but still.

The worst COD studio.

Hey look, 3 people who haven't played MWIII.

 

[Kenneth Haight]

Apart from all those employees, fuck those guys

 

[Mr Moose]

Hey look, 3 people who haven't played MWIII.

I'm lvl 250 and playing it now, its a buggy piece of shit and isn't MW3.

 

[Danknugz]

Advanced warfare, cod ww2, CoD vanguard, modern warfare 2. 4 games in 9 years.

so no then

 

[Sub_Level]

Advanced warfare, cod ww2, CoD vanguard, modern warfare 2. 4 games in 9 years.

You mean MW3. MW 2022 was Infinity Ward.

They all help each other out on multiple games these days, of course, but just pointing out they werent the main dev for that one.

 

[ByWatterson]

Empowering creators and giving them the time and resources to make great experiences that surprise and delight fans.

 

[cash_longfellow]

Hey look, 3 people who haven't played MWIII.

Imagine living in a world where you think everyone plays COD still…ugh, sorry for you buddy

 

[bender]

Geez. What a day.

 

[DaGwaphics]

Hmm. Surprised that they would touch the CoD machine.

 

[Raonak]

MS buying ABK feels eeirly similar to that time I drunkley impulse purchased that extra large cheeseburger

Lets just say there was a lot of vomit and nobody was pleased.

 

[PixelatedBeast]

I doubt that this was all developers. They're probably streamlining the company and will probably push them to become a CoD support studio rather than work on a full independent game after the next cycle.

The question is whether CoD will remain an annual release or under GamePass they don't need it to be.

Anything they do for Gamepass regarding COD has to be allowed for other platforms like Playstation and Nintendo as well for atleast 10 years as part of the contract they signed. So this has to be for something else. They cant gimp the offerings of COD to make gamepass seem more appealing because it has a lower price entry compared to its competitors.

 

[bender]

Hmm. Surprised that they would touch the CoD machine.

Hitting Sledgehammer with the deepest cuts would make the most sense since their title just released and their next project is the farthest out in the COD cycle.

I could be making this up, but I seem to remember Phil talking about slowing down the release schedule of COD.

 

[TropicanaTwista]

Really does suck seeing this many people out of a job. I understand it comes with consolidation, you're gonna have overlaps in positions but still, it's just see sad to see.


Also for a hot take: CoD WW2 was the best CoD of the last decade. The war mode in that game was fucking fantastic.

 

[Astray]

I doubt that this was all developers. They're probably streamlining the company and will probably push them to become a CoD support studio rather than work on a full independent game after the next cycle.

The question is whether CoD will remain an annual release or under GamePass they don't need it to be.

High quality and experienced QA teams surely matters when the franchise is basically an annual release.

This is the start of the inept leadership team that ran Halo to the ground getting its hands on yet another mega FPS franchise.

 

[SmokedMeat]

It’s happening all across the industry.

 

[twilo99]

Wtf is Microsoft doing….

Exactly what they should be doing but I am really surprised at the speed at which they are doing it.. I thought it might take another year or so.

 

[twilo99]

Hmm. Surprised that they would touch the CoD machine.

Why not? The CoD machine is likely the most overweight..

 

[wipeout364]

Also for a hot take: CoD WW2 was the best CoD of the last decade. The war mode in that game was fucking fantastic.

Definitely a hot take, certainly one I disagree with.

 

[iamvin22]

This isn't the end people. I expect raven studios to be shut down plus another supportive cod studio.

 

[Mr Moose]

Hmm. Surprised that they would touch the CoD machine.

It's not just the B-Team either.

 

[AJUMP23]

Welcome to MS now get out.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

The delusion of the Xbox Warrior Force was always amusing. Thinking that once Microsoft owns ABK, suddenly a bunch of new games would be greenlit, the entire back catalog would appear on Game Pass, and now with Microsoft's infinite resources and infrastructure, all these studios would thrive... the Call of Duty studios could finally be set free to create new IPs and revive old one.

only if they knew the worst is yet to come.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

It’s happening all across the industry.

we are all xbox after all.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Wtf is Microsoft doing….

Streamlining.

 

[twilo99]

Streamlining.

Probably making sure they don’t have 3 people doing 1 person’s job