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IGN: ~50 Layoffs at Sony Santa Monica, Project Canceled [Up2: Was Stig's New IP]

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3

3rdamention

Member
Before everyone starts thinking the cancelled project is some big AAA system seller, we all need to realize that Sony Santa Monica does a lot of work with other studios collaborating and assisting on other projects, actually lots of them.


They do not only internally develop AAA Blockbusters. This layoff could just as well be a small team of developers that do a lot of the collaborating and incubating with other development studios.


With the ease of development on PS4 going forward, this may be something that Sony has decided to cease. Maybe they do not feel they want to use SSM developers to help out other studios, even if they are other Sony owned studios, and they do not have the space or need for these developers on SSM's current internally developed projects, so some of these developers were laid off. I have a hard time thinking the top elite developers at SSM were helping out on development of Hohokum or PlayStation All Stars (titles SSM have assisted in developing). This could be some of the younger, less experienced developers that Sony doesn't feel they need at this time.

The canceled title could just have well been a PSN title, something being created as a PS+ title down the line, or a title they were collaborating with another small developer on. As some have said, "cut the fat." I am only speculating of course, but that doesn't seem like a very bad business decision if this were close to the case.
 
C

Cyberia

Member
C

Cimeas

Banned
Sony's big problem is that with the exception of GT and Uncharted, none of their exclusives sell more than a couple million consistently. If Microsoft pays a third party for an exclusive and it's crap, they can just dump them and not hire them again. For too long, Sony has been stuck with mediocre studios because either they've owned them or they're in really long contracts.

Series' like Resistance, Killzone, etc.. should have been killed years ago. All-Stars should never have happened. They need to trim down their big studios East and West and seed a lot of new ones with Naughty Dog staff, because they clearly know how it's done.
 
D

Dragon1893

Member
These posts talking about arrogance are hilarious, you couldn't make this shit up.

Would like to know more details. If a project was canned and the other projects already have enough staff it makes sense.
What was canned though? Maybe GoW was retired after Ascension underwhelmed?
Or maybe a new IP that wasn't getting anywhere?
Has to be one of these I think.
 
M

Meier

Member
God of War, as a series, has been going down hill BIG time for quite awhile. When you're a studio that only does one thing and that thing is not nearly as successful as it was previously, it's inevitable there will be repercussions.
 
O

Oersted

Member
WalkMan said:
What's wrong with that description? If someone isn't contributing then they aren't entitled to a job at all.
Click to expand...

Are you by any chance American? Anyway, we are talking about workers. You. Me. Them. We are humans. Not fat, weight, cancer or anything that needs to be cut off. Humans. Existences. Don't dehumanize them. Thank you.

Biker19 said:
Um, I wouldn't necessarily say that...Nintendo's not exactly as invincible as you think they are.
Click to expand...

Sony keeps shrinking, Nintendo not as invincible.. whatever that means, MS then?
 
T

TyrantII

Member
Anticitizen One said:
I bet the new IP was cancelled and there only making God of War 4 now
Click to expand...

Hopefully the canceled game was GoW 4.

Getting sick of Kratos, and his story is done anyways. No need to flesh it out with backstory prequels.

hey need to hang him up and move in a new direction with a new protagonist.
 
D

Dragon1893

Member
Meier said:
God of War, as a series, has been going down hill BIG time for quite awhile. When you're a studio that only does one thing and that thing is not nearly as successful as it was previously, it's inevitable there will be repercussions.
Click to expand...

Uh, GoW3 was the best selling GoW ever, it only went downhill with the last game (Ascension).
 
D

double jump

you haven't lived until a random little kid ask you "how do you make love".
nooo, even though the last gow was lame this one of the few studios that should be able to do what they want. the game industry ain't taking no prisoners.
 
R

RulkezX

Member
Cimeas said:
Sony's big problem is that with the exception of GT and Uncharted, none of their exclusives sell more than a couple million consistently. If Microsoft pays a third party for an exclusive and it's crap, they can just dump them and not hire them again. For too long, Sony has been stuck with mediocre studios because either they've owned them or they're in really long contracts.

Series' like Resistance, Killzone, etc.. should have been killed years ago. All-Stars should never have happened. They need to trim down their big studios East and West and seed a lot of new ones with Naughty Dog staff, because they clearly know how it's done.
Click to expand...


And just have a couple studios chasing whatever AAA fad is in ?

Part of their charm is being willing to make games a little different that maybe don't have huge mass appeal. I don't want a Sony focused on every IP being a 10 million seller.

We also have no idea if a few million sales is profitable on these games , given Sony doesn't spunk hundreds of millions on ads etc.
 
N

Nafai1123

Banned
Cimeas said:
Sony's big problem is that with the exception of GT and Uncharted, none of their exclusives sell more than a couple million consistently. If Microsoft pays a third party for an exclusive and it's crap, they can just dump them and not hire them again. For too long, Sony has been stuck with mediocre studios because either they've owned them or they're in really long contracts.

Series' like Resistance, Killzone, etc.. should have been killed years ago. All-Stars should never have happened. They need to trim down their big studios East and West and seed a lot of new ones with Naughty Dog staff, because they clearly know how it's done.
Click to expand...

You have no idea what you're talking about. Resistance and All-Stars weren't even developed in-house.
 
P

Psycho_Mantis

Banned
Zia said:
Best to those that were laid off.

Probably the group helping out with The Last Guardian.
Click to expand...

7DTly.gif
 
B

Biker19

Banned
Begaria said:
Meanwhile, at misterx...

"lol$ony is laying people off?!?! those sony ponies at sonygaf are BURNING! Sony is dying, with ther credit downgrded to JUNK STATS. Maybe thse guy will get picked up at Black Tusk LOL"

"good find..."

Seriously though, I would've liked to see what that cancelled project was.
Click to expand...

People like MisterxMedia aren't to be taken seriously.
 
P

Pennywise

Member
3rdamention said:
Before everyone starts thinking the cancelled project is some big AAA system seller, we all need to realize that Sony Santa Monica does a lot of work with other studios collaborating and assisting on other projects, actually lots of them.
Click to expand...

this.

Don't just jump to conclusions until we hear more.
 
L

LookAtMeGo

Member
I hope we get some confirmation on what game it was and if stig and cory's games are still in development before the universe implodes from speculation.
 
B

BlackBuzzard

Banned
Oersted said:
Are you by any chance American? Anyway, we are talking about workers. You. Me. Them. We are humans. Not fat, weight, cancer or anything that needs to be cut off. Humans. Existences. Don't dehumanize them. Thank you.



Sony keeps shrinking, Nintendo not as invincible.. whatever that means, MS then?
Click to expand...

MS shutdown Victoria studios just a month ago.
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
VanWinkle said:
Horrible news. We need MORE PS4 games, Sony, not less. Ugh.
Click to expand...

We don't even know if it was a PS4 game. People keep speculating about Stig and Cory's games because those are two we know about, but companies often times have games in development that are canned that people outside of the company never know about unless it's mentioned later down the line. A good example of that is Naughty Dog and Jak PSP. Was it ever even rumored that they were working on that? I sure can't remember it, but it was and Neil Druckmann was on the project. But Uncharted was hitting a rough patch so they quietly canned it and the people slid over to help with that game.
 
D

Drencrom

Member
What project was cancelled? I hope it was a vita project or something, if it's the new IP or Cory Balrog's project i'm gonna start sending nasty tweets to @yosp.
 
schaft0620

schaft0620

Member
I hope someone who got canned lets out what got canceled. I also think that the video game industry needs to find new and creative ways to cut costs so they don't have to budget GOWA at $50mil.
 
N

Nafai1123

Banned
StuBurns said:
While we don't know for sure, given IGN ran with the story, then Sony confirmed the layoffs, presumably whoever leaked it to IGN is also correct about a project being cancelled.
Click to expand...

We still don't know whether the project was a ZOMG AAA PS4 exclusive, a Vita exclusive, or even some current-gen to next-gen port. If we knew how many people were laid off it would give us more info.
 
R

Road

Member
It feels like people are laid-off or a studio is closed in the West by Sony every six months, but when was the last time someone from that uselessness that are the SCEJA studios has received as much as a slap on the wrist?

Also, how the hell the same budget as GOW3 was given to Ascension? Someone must have sent the memo to Sony Pictures. That's one surefire way to get your stupid ideas approved.
 
G

GeoramA

Member
Shitty news to come home to. Can't imagine how the laid off feel :(

Well, at least the cancelled game isn't Hohokum. It should be nearly finished.
 
F

Father_Brain

Banned
Takao said:
"This is a result of a cycle of resource re-alignment against priority growth areas within SCE WWS"

Sounds like they canceled a Vita game.
Click to expand...

If even Bend shifted to PS4 last year, I doubt SSM would have kept a Vita project in development through early 2014.
 
V

Vibranium

Banned
Yeah, hopefully it wasn't the rumoured new IP. If it was a GoW sequel or a Vita game I'm ok with this. Sucks that more people lost their jobs once again though...
 
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