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Crytek UK staff not paid full wages since April and more

OK, so instead of saying something like "a lot of the feeling internally is that the Yerli brothers are quite the incompetent leaders," try "two Crytek employees tell me the feeling internally is that the Yerli brothers are quite the incompetent leaders." It might seem like an insignificant difference to you, but it's the difference between potential defamation and reporting what you've heard.
Well, the feeling they gave me is it's not exactly a minority sentiment within, but for semantics sake I'll edit it to reflect more accurately.
 
Two people, yes. Bish can talk to me if he'd like, I'm all open for it.
Hmm, two people =/= "a lot". It's two people, at best it's some people, but it definitely isn't a lot.

Asigning phrases like incompetence to people can end badly, look at what happened to famousmortimer and Col Rogers when he went out on a limb.
 

jschreier

Member
Well, the feeling they gave me is it's not exactly a minority sentiment within, but for semantics sake I'll edit it to reflect more accurately.
My point is that if you're going to spread information like this -- information that can affect real peoples' lives in significant ways -- you really should say where it's coming from instead of stating it as fact.
 
I don't see why MS would care much for Crytek. Aside from Ryse there really isn't much there for them and neither have they had a long fruitful relationship that would encourage a second party snap-up.
 

Vlodril

Member
My point is that if you're going to spread information like this -- information that can affect real peoples' lives in significant ways -- you really should say where it's coming from instead of stating it as fact.

is there some reason you feel the need to moderate the thread?
 
is there some reason you feel the need to moderate the thread?

Well, there was a different GAF insider that got hammered down - hard - for spreading misinformation a while back. The incident culminated with the rumour in question being quashed by the industry figure himself appearing in the thread and responding to accusations against him. The gist of it was something like, "GAF insider says director of [game] was fired for bad work, when the truth of the matter was that the director of [game] stepped down for personal reasons."

(I don't remember the specifics, but there's probably someone that can link the thread.)

jschreier's probably just trying to give good criticism, I think.

Edit

Thanks Regret Upon Approval! (And fantastic user name.)
 

pompidu

Member
OK, so instead of saying something like "a lot of the feeling internally is that the Yerli brothers are quite the incompetent leaders," try "two Crytek employees tell me the feeling internally is that the Yerli brothers are quite the incompetent leaders." It might seem like an insignificant difference to you, but it's the difference between potential defamation and reporting what you've heard.

You are really nitpicking here. The facts are is that place is going down and people aren't getting paid which in turn leads to low moral. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to assume that the general moral is extremely low (and that the brothers are not keeping it togther)..
 
Well, there was a different GAF insider that got hammered down - hard - for spreading misinformation a while back. The incident culminated with the rumour in question being quashed by the industry figure himself appearing in the thread and responding to accusations against him. The gist of it was something like, "GAF insider says director of [game] was fired for bad work, when the truth of the matter was that the director of [game] stepped down for personal reasons."

(I don't remember the specifics, but there's probably someone that can link the thread.)

jschreier's probably just trying to give good criticism, I think.

Allow me.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=106121033#post106121033
 
My point is that if you're going to spread information like this -- information that can affect real peoples' lives in significant ways -- you really should say where it's coming from instead of stating it as fact.
Edited to reflect exactly what was meant, but really I was assuming anyone reading "the feeling internally" already implied that the sentiment is from actual employees, not meaning that I work there or something, but I understand that needs to be made very clearly from now on.
 

Vlodril

Member
Well, there was a different GAF insider that got hammered down - hard - for spreading misinformation a while back. The incident culminated with the rumour in question being quashed by the industry figure himself appearing in the thread and responding to accusations against him. The gist of it was something like, "GAF insider says director of [game] was fired for bad work, when the truth of the matter was that the director of [game] stepped down for personal reasons."

(I don't remember the specifics, but there's probably someone that can link the thread.)

jschreier's probably just trying to give good criticism, I think.

Well thats why we have moderators no? eh anyway not my place to moderate jason either. so my bad. just tired i guess.
 
Totally unenforceable since the company already breached employment terms by not paying in full. Trouble is it's an employers market which puts pressure on people to put up with this kind of abuse.
You will be able to leave based on the breach of contract, but if you're just not paid once or twice you may struggle to win as there are probably a lot of avenues for your employer to take as a defence.

Oddly enough if they enter administration you would become a preferred creditor and if there isn't enough dosh once the administrators are done with the business for your salary you can claim up to £464/week from the National Insurance Fund so depending on what you want to do you might be better off wishing the company died rather than becomes healthy once more.
 
is there some reason you feel the need to moderate the thread?
Calling the insider out on his extrapolation from 'two employees' to 'a lot of the feeling internally' of the entire studio absolutely is necessary. That's the same kind of utterly careless abuse of trust and integrity that's been marring gaf insiders more than once lately. If the source was just two dudes then that should be mentioned.
 
So is Crytek going to be the first victim of the new generation, then?

I don't understand how employees can stay with a business that refuses to pay them, but I guess they don't have much of a choice right now. Crytek has put their employees in a real bad situation.


I also had no idea Crytek was so huge, I feel like they only ever made a few games.

Not a victim of the new generation....a victim of their own mismanagement in an industry that doesn't tend to tolerate it.
 

Mr. Tibbs

Member
If Crytek goes belly up, what will happen to projects that licensed their engine? Would the assets be split up and sold to bidders?
 

Cory_t_

Member
Forgive my ignorance but what is this "notice" BS? I'm from Canada and here it's considered polite to give a minimum of 2 weeks notice when leaving a job on good terms but nothing is required. "Hey I won't be coming to work anymore, *middle finger*, what're gonna do about it?"
 

Zizbuka

Banned
If it's in a signed contract I believe it's kosher (up to 12 weeks IIRC) if the position is deemed a vital one. Which from the sound of things they've engineered them as?

But I assume if they're not being paid, said contract would be void anyway?
 

excaliburps

Press - MP1st.com
What's sadder and more annoying is reading that the Yerli's still drive to work in theri Ferraris and whatnot. Seriously, sell your shit and pay your staff.

Not surprised with this news, to be honest. I mean, Crysis 3 flopped hard and the company was always touting games that went nowhere, even Cry Engine 3 hasn't made them money, right? I always wondered where they even got funding.

Hope the workers get something out of this before the company implodes.
 

Angry Fork

Member
And if there's no money?

Threaten the employer with violence, have individual ceo's empty their bank accounts until all workers are paid back wages + interest for emotional distress.

Obviously they'd be jailed immediately after but it would be nice if they weren't.
 

jschreier

Member
Edited to reflect exactly what was meant, but really I was assuming anyone reading "the feeling internally" already implied that the sentiment is from actual employees, not meaning that I work there or something, but I understand that needs to be made very clearly from now on.
It's not just that. There's a big difference between hearing something from one person, hearing something from a dozen people, and all of the options in between. Responsible reporters -- or even GAF insiders! -- need to be as clear as possible when relaying information from their sources, especially when the consequences could really hurt people. I don't believe in any hard and fast rules for the number of sources one needs in order to report something, but specifying that you heard something from two different Crytek employees certainly makes the information more credible than it might be if you only heard it from one, or if you heard it from two people who talked to Crytek employees.

The article posted in OP feels irresponsible to me, because it relays a whole lot of specific, damaging allegations based on what appears to be a single source, whose motivations we don't know. Hence my previous posts.
 

Kill3r7

Member
What's sadder and more annoying is reading that the Yerli's still drive to work in theri Ferraris and whatnot. Seriously, sell your shit and pay your staff.

Why should they sell their shit? Crytek is a corporation. The entity might be going bankrupt not them individually.

Not surprised with this news, to be honest. I mean, Crysis 3 flopped hard and the company was always touting games that went nowhere, even Cry Engine 3 hasn't made them money, right? I always wondered where they even got funding.

If you don't know if or how they make their money then why do you feel the need to speculate that they are in trouble?
 

scamander

Banned
Forgive my ignorance but what is this "notice" BS? I'm from Canada and here it's considered polite to give a minimum of 2 weeks notice when leaving a job on good terms but nothing is required. "Hey I won't be coming to work anymore, *middle finger*, what're gonna do about it?"

That's (I assume) only one side of the coin, because the employer can basically do the same to you, right? Well, in Europe he can't.
 

-PXG-

Member
3 months notice before quitting? Get fucked. I'd tell them to go to Hell while sucking every inch of my dick, along the way, all the way down to the ninth circle. No joke. That is some next level bullshit. No one should have to deal with that. No one. Ever.
 
Forgive my ignorance but what is this "notice" BS? I'm from Canada and here it's considered polite to give a minimum of 2 weeks notice when leaving a job on good terms but nothing is required. "Hey I won't be coming to work anymore, *middle finger*, what're gonna do about it?"
A notice period is there to help employees out with the dramatic effect of losing a job, or if the employee is the one serving notice it will help the employer out with the loss of an employee.

If the employer is serving notice to the employee, in UK law they must give one weeks' notice if the employee has been employed for one month to two years. Anything more than that and you get one week for every year you have been employed, up to a maximum of 12 weeks.

If the employee is serving notice to the employer and you've worked for more than a month you must give one weeks' notice, but unlike above it doesn't increase if you've worked there for longer.

If you've worked for less than a month you can piss off as you please.

Your contract of employment may list a notice period longer than this, which is acceptable.
 
If Crytek goes belly up, what will happen to projects that licensed their engine? Would the assets be split up and sold to bidders?

Most likely someone will buy the engine and all it's tech, it's very powerful stuff. Their CryEngine EaaS does have this in the EULA, so not sure what indie devs could face if Crytek does croak.

4. Subscription Period, Auto-Renewal

4.3. Crytek shall be entitled to discontinue the “CryEngine as a Service” program after due notice at any time. You shall not be entitled to any claims for damages for such discontinuation.

http://www.cryengine.com/get-cryengine/eaas-eula
 

Lomax

Member
This is the company that intentionally made and bragged about Crysis not being able to run on almost anyone's computer, and then was surprised that sales were poor and blamed it on piracy. I'm honestly amazed they've lasted this long.
 
376208.jpg


Sorry

Druckmann is awesome, crytek however is not.
 

Kyougar

Member
The financial results of Crytek GmbH* over the past few years (everything in million EUR):

Code:
          Revenue    Net income/loss 
2012	  48,938    -9,424
2011	  34,464    -8,215
2010	  21,554    -21,015
2009	  19,954    -2,933
[B]2008	  14,732    -3,810[/B]
2007	  18,010     2,052
2006	  10,373     0,417
2005       6,341     0,200
2004       3,264     0,245
2003       3,143    -0,371

*Crytek GmbH has quite a lot of subsidiaries: one company for every studio except Frankfurt, RealTime Immersive Inc. (their “serious games and simulation studio” in Orlando), Crytek Lizenzverwaltung GmbH and Crytek Gface GmbH.
The numbers of 2003-07 are from 2007

2008 14,732 -3,810
"Start" of Console developement

9on-coincidence-i-think-not.jpg


We have a proverb in germany: "Schuster bleib bei deinen Leisten!" (Cobbler stick to your last)
 

Shpeshal Nick

aka Collingwood
Hope MS can buy the Ryse IP to make the sequel. Then nab the ex-Free Radicals to get a spiritual successor to Timesplitters going.
 

n0tail

Banned
- Staff promoted to Senior roles without equivalent pay rise. Senior roles are required to hand in a three months notice if they chose to resign so this is believed to be a tactic to get staff to stay. i.e. scumbag move.

WHAT? Glad I have never bought a Crytek product and this will make sure I never will. Homefront looked promising, but now there's no chance in hell. This is fucking abuse.
 

Vilam

Maxis Redwood
My point is that if you're going to spread information like this -- information that can affect real peoples' lives in significant ways -- you really should say where it's coming from instead of stating it as fact.

It's nice seeing this. It's all fun discussing games, but too often it's easy to forget how some discussions can impact real people's lives. It doesn't matter if what's said is true, or if a quote is accurate... once it becomes publicly accepted because someone else said it, paraphrased something, was misinterpreted, etc, it becomes the manufactured truth. Not directing that at you Shinobi, just speaking about the industry in general and things I've seen happen in similar situations.
 

Gustav

Banned
If Crytek goes belly up, Yager will be the last company to do AAA in Germany.

German game development is fucked.
 
Why?
Their games are bad, and no one uses their tech.
Wait for bankruptcy so you can get easy bids for individual stuff.

C'mon now, Evolve, Star Citizen, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture are on CryEngine, and let's not forget their method of Global Illumination (Light Propogation Volumes) is so wicked even UE4 is using it.
 

abadguy

Banned
I dunno it seems like they have a lot of promise for the future I hope - nextgen and improving rigs so more people can appreciate their games. Put some decent stuff/licenses up for bidding...



Crytek should sell it to Sony.

And here i find myself asking this question yet again. If they don't want to sell the IP to MS, why would they sell it to Sony?
 
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