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IGN: ~50 Layoffs at Sony Santa Monica, Project Canceled [Up2: Was Stig's New IP]
- Thread starter Jonboy
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Impeccable
Member
That's rather unfortunate.
Fantastic insight cheers. Video well worth a watch for developement perspective.
Femmeworth
Banned
They are letting important people go. What the hell is happening?
If he played anything resembling the TGS build, he was right. I played it in its day and I thought it was the new Eternal Ring.
I still can't believe that demo became the game it is.
yes but in most cases project is cancelled and people and teams move on to next project. Senior staff is mostly safe unless the whole studio is closed. In case of SSM they have let go of senior staff which is very strange
Wildarmsjecht
Member
I...cannot believe the things I'm reading here from Gaf.
Yes I can. It's based on assumptions after all. Also, lack of research for some.
Shitty what happened, but it occurs for various reasons that WE may not ever understand. It could be a totally different new IP that hasn't even been mentioned yet. It could be Stigs game. It could possibly so amazing that people who worked on it claim it's JUST SO AWESOME EVERYTIME THEY SEE IT...and it could not be.
We. Don't. Know. As more information arises, then I HOPE some educated guesses can be made.
Till then, lets first try and understand the nature of the business, of any company really. Did they add on more projects than they could sustain? Maybe. Was the game not shaping up as promised over the course of a specific timeline? Quite possible.
Lots of potential reasons for the layoffs and possible new ip cancellation. Blaming Yosp, predicting the end of Sony, bellowing "Whelp, SM is done. No more games from Sony this year"...Its foolish.
Hope for the best for those that lost their job - hope that there is enough of the supposed "new Ip" set up that somewhere down the line it can be revived, and remember that no matter WHAT industry you're in, studios start up, studios close down. People get hired, and people get fired. Sometimes in droves for both of those instances. It's an unfortunate way of life that often times SHOULD have a specific reason for its inception.
We don't have that. Stop assuming.
Yes I can. It's based on assumptions after all. Also, lack of research for some.
Shitty what happened, but it occurs for various reasons that WE may not ever understand. It could be a totally different new IP that hasn't even been mentioned yet. It could be Stigs game. It could possibly so amazing that people who worked on it claim it's JUST SO AWESOME EVERYTIME THEY SEE IT...and it could not be.
We. Don't. Know. As more information arises, then I HOPE some educated guesses can be made.
Till then, lets first try and understand the nature of the business, of any company really. Did they add on more projects than they could sustain? Maybe. Was the game not shaping up as promised over the course of a specific timeline? Quite possible.
Lots of potential reasons for the layoffs and possible new ip cancellation. Blaming Yosp, predicting the end of Sony, bellowing "Whelp, SM is done. No more games from Sony this year"...Its foolish.
Hope for the best for those that lost their job - hope that there is enough of the supposed "new Ip" set up that somewhere down the line it can be revived, and remember that no matter WHAT industry you're in, studios start up, studios close down. People get hired, and people get fired. Sometimes in droves for both of those instances. It's an unfortunate way of life that often times SHOULD have a specific reason for its inception.
We don't have that. Stop assuming.
If you can't find a place for someone, then layoffs are really the only option sadly. The Barlog project likely had similar positions filled already :/
We don't know the full story yet you are already in damage control mode. A good game can also be canceled.
Pound_lb003
Member
I'm trawling LinkedIn looking for evidence of a programmer leaving. None so far.
I'm wondering if we knew ALL the projects they had going. Maybe this was an early project cancelled - firing mostly designers kind of says something along those lines.
And let's bear in mind, there was a lot of designers continuing to work on GoW Ascension, up until very recently.
I'm wondering if we knew ALL the projects they had going. Maybe this was an early project cancelled - firing mostly designers kind of says something along those lines.
And let's bear in mind, there was a lot of designers continuing to work on GoW Ascension, up until very recently.
The hell?I am trying to be reasonable here not assuming it was the new IP and not assuming it was a good or bad game.
Its so many variables here,having a trouble development does not make a game bad.
Yes I am sure they cancelled a good game. Makes perfect logical sense. In fact when a game is cancelled the first thing that pops in my head is usually how good it would be.
Can people please stop making baseless asumptions and fearing the worst ?
Here are the facts :
what we currently know right now is that 50 people have been layed of and i hope all of them can get new jobs and land on their feet.
What we do not know is why they where layed off, what they where working on , and how far along said project was ?
Here are the facts :
what we currently know right now is that 50 people have been layed of and i hope all of them can get new jobs and land on their feet.
What we do not know is why they where layed off, what they where working on , and how far along said project was ?
Pound_lb003
Member
We know WHY.
It's because a project was cancelled. WHY the project was cancelled we don't know. And as you say, we have no idea how far along it was, OR how many projects are in pre-production.
Maybe they're just shifting their focus.
Obviously one project wasn't working, so maybe they're letting on team stay on action games and build up another one for a new direction.
Dental Plan
Member
It's a sad day. Best wishes to all those affected by the layoffs.
SniperHunter
Banned
Demon nite lost his job?
anexanhume
Member
We know they were laid off as a result of the project being cancelled. Some have pointed out that some people have have been laid off reported themselves to be working on a new IP.
However, there's been talk that SSM is working on up to three new games, two of which could be new IP.
No, he's London as someone filled me in earlier.
FinalStageBoss
Banned
So ppl are assuming a game in development for 4 years was cancelled? Let's make believe that's true and ask why a game in development that long was canned? Is it because it was a train wreck bleeding money yet going nowhere? Or because it was amazing and original and Sony couldn't handle the amazingness?
A project that massive wouldnt be cancelled for the fuck it.
A project that massive wouldnt be cancelled for the fuck it.
It's not that rare to see vets take the axe before the others especially in a R&D environment. Without an ongoing project or an initiative for one, these senior people are among the highest paid employees on the payroll and are among the first to be fired in a reorganization or "let go".
I can only assume all the projects in SSM are fully staffed and they can't transfer these people to other studios. Some can also be contracted workers during a project crunch time that are lucky enough to get a permanent position.
He's safe in England.
paperheart
Banned
Wow, I didn't see that one coming. I feel for the people who lost their jobs.
It may be the case but in healthy companies such high level people are usually given a new project .
specially when you have people working for you for 10 years and in lead positions.well we don't know what really happened and i don't know why as i don't have personal stakes on it but i am feeling pretty bad about this news.
D
Deleted member 80556
Unconfirmed Member
Oh, hey, I remember this! Yeah, it's totally true, an even more recent example is The Last of Us, nothing was like it before it was released, and ND had no idea how to make a game like it.
Heck, I bet not even Valve could've been able to do it in the same time frame.
But I guess it's that bad that they even wanted to lay off 50 people, including veterans.
Many good games are cancelled. Many times not because of the quality of the game itself but because of bureaucratic reasons.
This is brilliant and exactly the kind of thing that some people in this thread need to look at.
Anticitizen One
Banned
First Sony shuts down Studio Liverpool Psygnosis even though they were working on a brand new IP as well as Wipeout 4 and now this. I am almost positive the team was laid off so the entire studio can focus on another God of War game.
Hey Sony how about making a big game that isn't another sequel to a ps2 or ps3 franchise? How about bringing back something we haven't seen in decades like Medievil or Jet Moto? How about making...*gasp* a brand new IP concept?
Hey Sony how about making a big game that isn't another sequel to a ps2 or ps3 franchise? How about bringing back something we haven't seen in decades like Medievil or Jet Moto? How about making...*gasp* a brand new IP concept?
NTIETS13A_Superiority
Banned
I do not think job is an important thing to have in life. I do not think losing a job is something to be sorry about ( I do get mad (to corporations) when corporations fire people to increase growth of profits, but I do not really feel sorry for people getting fired then either). Never have and propably never will. As long as we live in this kind of society atleast. I have never felt sorry for anyone for getting fired (including my brother and mother). I would never put myself to such position where losing my job would be big negative to me. Necessity of job is one of the reasons why current societies (generally) are such a messy/shitty places.
I would feel sorry for troubles people may have to go trough because of the position they have put themselfs to, but not for losing a job. Me despising this job centric society from when I was a child might have something to do with that...
To cut shit short. One lays in bed, like one makes their bed.
Or some shit like that.
Right now I would propably not feel sorry for anyone, but I am bit bipolarbear person.
Did I already write that I despise current societys we live in (societys that i know of, to be exact).
Sincerely: This Is All Something I Could/Should Have Kept To Myself
Edit: Lol at people quessing age/maturity. Older I get, more pessimistic I get.
That insomniac video was great. Luckily we got RetC.
I hate posting in these threads, because you want to talk about the whys and hows, while still being respectful to those who lost their jobs. I've been there, and it sucks.
This one is particularly interesting, though, because it does give a bit of a hint in the future direction Sony is taking.
The purpose of first party games is to sell both hardware and to build excitement for your brand. And maybe, just maybe, you'll hit a home run.
Here's the problem with that. How many home runs have Sony's studios actually delivered over the past decade? Their consistency has been terrible since the PS3 started life, and the PS4 launched with, let's face it, a pair of turds at retail.
The first six months of the two new systems have not delivered a wealth of exclusives on either system. However, there's no question that Microsoft's strategy of subsidizing timed exclusives and DLC is FAR more cost effective than Sony's strategy of dumping tons of money into these studios with spotty output. They cherry pick the winners like Titanfall, and aren't stuck financing garbage festivals like the Killzone games.
It's possible that Sony is going to start thinning their internal studios, much like Microsoft did midway through the 360's life, and start doing the same thing. As a PS4 owner, it is annoying that Microsoft is locking up the cream of the third party crop and I'm stuck waiting for Battlefield DLC just so I can play it on my system of choice.
It would be far preferable to me that Sony starts going after these same exclusive content, like they did with Assassin's Creed 4, and stop dumping money into "exclusive" games that nobody wants to buy, but they're forced to keep cranking out because their studios have to have something to do.
And yet Last Guardian has been bleeding money for the entirety of longest console generation we have ever had.
I just browsed through the first page but has anyone brought up the point that obscene taxes in the city of Santa Monica, and Los Angeles as a whole, are causing businesses to move out? If your Sony why have a huge building in Santa Monica where you're going to pay ridiculous rent costs, taxes etc.
I say this as someone who lives and works construction on housing complexes all over L.A. but especially Santa Monica. Santa Monica is a pain in the ass to work in for many reasons (mostly tax related) plus you have the parking enforcement hounding you every single second they can. Don't get me wrong I LOVE Santa Monica and its my favorite beach since I've been a kid, but if you're running a business in the city there is so much paperwork and bullshit you have to go through its sometimes not worth the hassle.
Why not just move Sony Santa Monica to Austin, TX or Denver, CD? I think this could be somewhat of a factor on top how the gaming industry is contracting with all these huge AAA games that can't pull a profit.
I say this as someone who lives and works construction on housing complexes all over L.A. but especially Santa Monica. Santa Monica is a pain in the ass to work in for many reasons (mostly tax related) plus you have the parking enforcement hounding you every single second they can. Don't get me wrong I LOVE Santa Monica and its my favorite beach since I've been a kid, but if you're running a business in the city there is so much paperwork and bullshit you have to go through its sometimes not worth the hassle.
Why not just move Sony Santa Monica to Austin, TX or Denver, CD? I think this could be somewhat of a factor on top how the gaming industry is contracting with all these huge AAA games that can't pull a profit.
You literally just said a bad game can hurt a studio. There isn't a poster on this forum that doesn't already know that. Everyone in this thread is functioning off of limited information. Sure, some are assuming the worst and being cynical but their position is no less valid than any other. I just think it is disingenuous for posters to paint others who are disappointed as blind fans unable to consider the game wasn't worth pursuing. It just reeks of fanboyism for what could be a let down. If you want to accuse others of assuming too much, then you yourself should not make arguments that essentially defend the decision without sufficient information. It makes you look bad.
Let me simplify my point for you and you seem to not understand. Not every game that has ever been canceled is a result of being "bad." Some games are canceled because other titles are given priority (see: Black Tusk) or because of cost or because someone high up made a difficult decision. Whatever this project is (even if it isn't Stig's game) we don't really know why it was canceled.
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
Jett did you see the TGS game? It was supposed to be close to final. Did you see that footage and read impressions of it?
I am the biggest From Software Kings Field nut which means I am fine with terrible frame rates and clunky control schemes but even I thought the footage from TGS looked bad and almost unplayable in parts.
Yoshida was looking at a build even earlier than that.
FinalStageBoss
Banned
Which baffles me, it shoulve been shit canned long ago imo. That game will never be released
Lol! Sounds like he's just trying to cover his ass and make himself sound hip for the fans.
What the hell is this. This is some college freshman philosophy shit, come on man.
Yeah they haven't released a new IP in what, three months? And another one a month before that? And another one 4 months before that?
Shameful
BlackBuzzard
Banned
Anything but this. What Microsoft is doing is just preventing games from coming to Playstation platforms. I dont want Sony to do the same thing.
Is that going to be your thing? Make that post, have people reply to it. Ignore those replies.
Then 45 minutes later make that post again?
Oh and the expert concern trolls have arrived. Expected in a thread about such a shitty situation. Opportunities must be seized after all.
Cornbread78
Member
Sucks for gamers, but sucks most for those that lost theie jobs.
Doctor_Thomas
Member
It would be preferable to me if Sony keep making games. I could give two shits about DLC for Ass Creed 4 because I have the game and have no intention of touching the DLC, but I am buying inFamous and Drive Club and The Order and whatever else Sony put out that is worth my money and if they make a few stinkers then it's the nature of the beast and happens to all publishers. What I don't want it them buying timed exclusives to stop other platforms getting the game because that doesn't benefit me, the game would still come out money hats or no.
According to da interwebs, the TGS build was 65% complete, that doesn't sound "close to final", and according to the article I linked to that's what Yoshida ended up playing in the end. Two hours of it, and his main complaint was that he couldn't advance past the first level, which sounds to me like a totally regular DS experience. I've had enough of the Yoshida Defense Force. Not everyone is perfect, dudes.
I was in panic mode at first and was being unrealistic, I really doubt they would cancel the new IP everyone's been talking about, they even named dropped SSM as one of the studios that has a new IP coming up at gamescom and apparently its been in development for a long time. I doubt they would cut a big project this late into it. If a project actually got canceled, its probably something in its early stages, and Sony decided to have everyone focus on either GoW 4 or stigs game instead of having 3 games. Obviously that's just me doing guesswork..
Did you even read the article?
Anticitizen One
Banned
I'm talking about major games not phoned in shit like Knack that they made minimal effort on and it got its ass handed to it by reviewers. Where are the variety of new IPs like ICO, Jak & Daxter, Crash Bandicoot, Medievil, Wipeout, Jet Moto, Parappa, etc. all that kind of stuff. So far the only major games that have been announced is Uncharted 4 and Infamous 3 and The order 1886 which although new looks like it literally plays like every other 3rd person corridor shooter on the market. hurrr
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