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[EVIL]

The game had been in development for 4 years of development and still wasn't finished. And the staff size grew 82% in the span of 4 years. There's no way that the studio could have sustained itself. Sometimes you have to cut your losses. It sucks that 50 people lost their job and the project cancelled, but it is the reality of business. They have to stay profitable somehow.

Pretty much this.
Its hard to make any calls about the state of the game because we really know very little.
In the end its a business and when things don't work out you need to cut your losses.

People are quick to call the failing of the industry on a few teams getting cut. These days companies are very public with their info, sharing much more then they used to. In the past companies silently disappeared unless a magazine picked up about it months after. The industry is in as much danger of a crash as it was 10 years ago, or 20.

 

[Neuromancer]

You were getting another gow with or without what just happened to stig's game.


THESE THINGS ARE NOT CONNECTED!!!!

Well we're all speculating, it's not impossible that this new IP was scrapped in part because it was decided that the manpower would be better allocated to other projects including GoW.

 

[Salex_]

No.

1. Somebody on here said it like it was a fact without sourcing and a bunch of sheep followed suit.
2. They were probably already working on a God of War game.

The sheeps are still following...Can we make it a requirement to give a source before tossing out a bunch of nonsense?

Well we're all speculating, it's not impossible that this new IP was scrapped in part because it was decided that the manpower would be better allocated to other projects including GoW.

If you go back and read the posts saying that, it doesn't sound like speculation. Its worded as a fact.
You really can't blame people for picking up the info though. This is the website where people are suppose to be more informed than the average gamer. If enough people say 1 thing, then it's okay to pick it up because there's a good chance that there's a source for the information.

 

[johnny956]

Christmas this year? Lol. They just rehired Barlog and started creating the team. It's years away.

And stig wasn't fired. What's to say he doesn't lead another project, with different and possibly more talented people?

I mean if we are going to make assumptions can we make some reasonable ones as well?

When do you think we'll see SSM next's game? 2015/2016?

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

oh so now it is sony instead of yoshida? mkay.

Fine, fuck off Yoshida.

 

[Spiegel]

You were getting another gow with or without what just happened to stig's game.


THESE THINGS ARE NOT CONNECTED!!!!

But now we are probably getting another GoW in 2016 and maybe a new IP in 2017.

That's the difference.

We were expecting to hear about SSM this year.

 

[Off-Kilter]

Really bummed, man.

Was very much looking forward to a new IP, especially a sci-fi one which was rumored.

 

[KimonoNoNo]

Maybe the problem was it was awesome, but needed a hundred million dollars to turn it into a finished game, and the risk is unacceptable.

A game can be great, and still be commercially untenable.

Or what I now dub the Shenmue principle.

 

[N.Domixis]

What if, after the bad reception of none of their major games being multiplayer made them cancel this game because if was a single player only game. Maybe sony now realizes they are in trouble if they do not have an exclusive multiplayer game.

 

[Gorillaz]

who is sting anyway? never heard of him

 

[dragonbane]

Isn't the rumor that they're working on two games now? (DriveClub and Wipeout)

They got beefed up with some of the Liverpool devs when that studio shut down.

I think a lot of it will depend on DriveClub...

 

[FiggyCal]

Another new IP scrapped in favor of an established one.

I'm sensing a pattern here...

God of War 4 would have happened regardless if this new IP was cancelled or not.

 

[cchum]

i knew it was going to be stig's ip. been in development for way too long and we didn't hear a single thing about it.

who is sting anyway? never heard of him

Spoiler

GOW 3 director

Edit: lol beaten

 

[Kinyou]

You were getting another gow with or without what just happened to stig's game.


THESE THINGS ARE NOT CONNECTED!!!!

Isn't there a possibility that the higher ups basically had to choose what project to keep? Then they would have picked GoW over stig's game

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

As i say again SSM management is to blame for this .
2 games is 7 years is not going to work for a 220 man team that makes games for 1 system.

What? It was two in six years. GOW III took three years but it's understandable due to new hardware and Barlog bailing out on them, and Ascension was created in three with a fractured team while the other part of the team was working with Stig.

 

[FTF]

fuck…it was Stig's project…this just keeps getting worse

 

[famousmortimer]

you edit that? Or did I read it wrong the first time. Oh well.


According to how SSM operates by Mort, you want to talk to Shannon Studstill.

I did edit it. I saw my mistake and was like "fuckkkkkk don't end up on every websiteeeeeeeee" as I reached for the edit button.


And yes, Shannon is the person who made the decision. And it may have been for a good reason. Or it may not have been. But it wasn't to make another gow. What do you people think they hired Barlog and let him create his own team for?

 

[Violater]

Another new IP scrapped in favor of an established one.

I'm sensing a pattern here...

Yes one of rampant speculation.

 

[Mexi]

Bussiness are Bussiness.

I am expecting more lay offs from several game studios in a near future.

It's a shame since i really wanted a new IP but yay, at least we are getting another God of War, so exciting, isn't it?

 

[jayu26]

My own theory based on nothing but my experiences in this industry.

It could be the project wasn't cancelled for being a bad game but for having the wrong business model. Sony might be in need of steady cash streams and wants to start heading in that direction. So they cancel the project and only keep a few key people to start working on a game that has microtransactions/dlc at it's core.

No point in keeping a full staff when you're in the beginning of a project. They moved around people they needed and laid off the rest. This is the new world folks, we need to start getting used to it.


Or the game was in development hell and they decided to cut their losses

I read this and then I look at Infamous and The Order and plathora of indie games coming to PS4. Yeah, your theory completely falls apart.

 

[Jarmel]

You were getting another gow with or without what just happened to stig's game.

THESE THINGS ARE NOT CONNECTED!!!!

It would have at least been something different from the studio. Break up the monotony.

My interest in SSM as a studio has plummeted with this news.

 

[injurai]

Is the game actually cancelled or was Sony just trimming the fat now that they have tackled certain hurdles relating to the games development?

 

[Neuromancer]

Isn't the rumor that they're working on two games now? (DriveClub and Wipeout)

They got beefed up with some of the Liverpool devs when that studio shut down.

The site that ran that rumor then sort of retracted it, unless I've missed something more recent.

 

[benny_a]

What do you people think they hired Barlog and let him create his own team for?

A new IP.

 

[nelsonroyale]

This is disappointing. They better not be reorientating towards God of War...if so, and that is their sole focus, I feel sorry for them. Confined to output which is becoming creatively bankrupt. They have the talent, make something new and fresh!

 

[1.21Gigawatts]

Were they working on two or three projects?

 

[Saroyan]

What's the point of another god of war?
Seriously?
Where would the story even go?

Maybe a new character, with Kratos as the antagonist. Everyone already hates him...

 

[chubigans]

The site that ran that rumor then sort of retracted it, unless I've missed something more recent.

Ah, that was probably where I heard it from. Nuts.

 

[Doug Heffernan]

Yes one of rampant speculation.

No, one of new IPs being sacrificed in an industry that's in trouble.

fuck…it was Stig's project…this just keeps getting worse

 

[famousmortimer]

Isn't there a possibility that the higher ups basically had to choose what project to keep? Then they would have picked GoW over stig's game

Is there a chance of that? Sure. It doesn't make any sense though. The easy answer with the least assumptions is usually the correct one (aka occam's razor). If a game isn't good no matter how hard you try, you cancel it.

 

[Nirolak]

It would have at least been something different from the studio. Break up the monotony.

My interest in SSM as a studio has plummeted with this news.

Well, actually I think they moved into a new, notably larger office to support having both God of War and another game from the studio.

 

[DarkLordMalik]

I did edit it. I saw my mistake and was like "fuckkkkkk don't end up on every websiteeeeeeeee" as I reached for the edit button.


And yes, Shannon is the person who made the decision. And it may have been for a good reason. Or it may not have been. But it wasn't to make another gow. What do you people think they hired Barlog and let him create his own team for?

Cory Barlog created the best God of War so i have full faith in his next project. Can you confirm that if there was indeed a third team? (Ascension one)

 

[dragonbane]

If driveclub bombs they could be in trouble. That's true of most studios though.


I know the human element of it sucks but if you make games that don't sell well you usually don't get to keep on making games.


If chubigans here puts out cook, serve, delicious 2 and it's hot garbage and sells like shit, he suffers. If he tries to make a new IP and it's not fun so he keeps reiterating it and it keeps being not fun he would likely shit can it. This all makes sense, right? Well the same is true of bigger studios.

Yeah. What doesn't help their cause is the substantial DC delay, if it is really for quality reasons. Publishers are more likely to keep you if you at least managed to release a stable product on time and on budget, even if the game ends up bombing. Delays and then the game bombs? Not good...

 

[Samyy]

This is disappointing. They better not be reorientating towards God of War...if so, and that is their sole focus, I feel sorry for them. Confined to output which is becoming creatively bankrupt. They have the talent, make something new and fresh!

Clearly their talent failed to create a project worth continuing. Why do you assume the game was any good? The fact that it was canceled implies that they failed to make a compelling product with all their talent.

They were given a chance to do something new and apparently they failed.

 

[paradise_circus]

Do we have a new canceled goat game like Legend of Dragoon 2?

 

[Elginer]

This is some really shitty fucking news. I was looking forward to a new IP from SSM. What the hell is going on over at Sony?

 

[lastflowers]

Ugh.

MS cancels new IP to make GoW
Sony cancels new IP to make GoW

this legitimately made me lol. Whoever said the HD Twins aren't copying each other!

 

[SykoTech]

I don't care abot God of War at all, but it's funny seeing so many people think this was cancelled in favor of making another GoW game. Lol.

I'd bet anything that GoW PS4 was already in development at SSM. At most, it just might be released a little sooner.

 

[SniperHunter]

Spoiler

GOW 3 director

Edit: lol beaten

And GoW3 sucked

 

[Mexi]

Where are our legit insiders (CBOAT) to tell us what's going on?

 

[KojiKnight]

Have to feel bad for the guys who just lost their jobs in this... Good game or not, the low level guys were just doing their jobs.

 

[rdrr gnr]

This is hugely disappointing. Hopefully we'll get more details in the coming months. Maybe leaks of concept art.

I really like it.

It wasn't bad, actually.

A new IP.

This is a guess or you know? My guess would also be God of War.

 

[StuBurns]

What do you people think they hired Barlog and let him create his own team for?

But what happened to the GoW team then?

The director left (for Crytek was it?) but only fifty people have just lost their jobs, and Barlog's been staffing up, so there's about a hundred and fifty people not working on anything?

I would have imagined it was three teams, Stig, GoW and Barlog, in which case I'd have guessed Barlog was on a new IP.

 

[jett]

Hopefully we'll get leaked videos of this IP someday.

 

[Violater]

No, one of new IPs being sacrificed in an industry that's in trouble.

Or a new IP that probably wasn't going to be good or financially beneficial got canned albeit later than it probably should have.

Hopefully we'll get leaked videos of this IP someday.

Eight Days videos still get people upset.

 

[beast786]

So what are they working on?

 

[FiggyCal]

Is there a chance of that? Sure. It doesn't make any sense though. The easy answer with the least assumptions is usually the correct one (aka occam's razor). If a game isn't good no matter how hard you try, you cancel it.

It could've been that for the return they would've gotten for this game, it wasn't worth 4+ years of development and a 240 man staff. They could be using that money to make another game that would've been finished already and or/ make a bigger return on investment.

 

[Loudninja]

Where are our legit insiders (CBOAT) to tell us what's going on?

He does not deal with Sony rumors or info.

 

[cchum]

But what happened to the GoW team then?

The director left (for Crytek was it?) but only fifty people have just lost their jobs, and Barlog's been staffing up, so there's about a hundred and fifty people not working on anything?

I would have imagined it was three teams, Stig, GoW and Barlog, in which case I'd have guessed Barlog was on a new IP.

Third/second party team too: The order etc.

 

[Loris146]

But what happened to the GoW team then?

The director left (for Crytek was it?) but only fifty people have just lost their jobs, and Barlog's been staffing up, so there's about a hundred and fifty people not working on anything?

I would have imagined it was three teams, Stig, GoW and Barlog, in which case I'd have guessed Barlog was on a new IP.

Some of these people are working with Ready At dawn don't they?