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[ultratruman]

The restructuring at SCEE has been inevitable for a while now, not enough hit games and too much wasted money.

As always in these threads I'm going to point the finger at Guerilla Games. It's unbelievable that this money sink hasn't been closed down. Second rate games and they suck up resources.

Cambridge deserve much better than this, I truly hope the guys who find themselves out of work today go on to better things and once SCEE has a management clear out they find their way back.

The big problem at SCEE is Guerilla Games. They suck up too much money and their games do not have a good ROI. This time they were saved by being gifted a launch title slot and incredibly aggressive bundling throughout Europe, but Killzone is still not good enough and the brand is tarnished. I'm hoping that their next franchise will be better but I seriously doubt it. Until management address this and admit they made a mistake wasting money on purchasing GG and increasing the budget there the rest of SCEE will be hollowed out.

There needs to be a management change at SCEE before decent games start flowing again.

I also expect the ATG has taken a fair hit with the start of the new generation, there is probably less need for it given the ease of development for PS4.

I agree, but without Guerrilla Games Worldwide Studios has no FPS makers.

 

[Sid]

Seems it's all OK in Sony land.

I agree, but without Guerrilla Games Worldwide Studios has no FPS makers.

Cambridge.

 

[Can Crusher]

Guerrilla Games is a good studio. They only need a couple of good hires, and their games will suddenly take the leap into a great level of quality.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Damn....my prediction came true


http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=98119682&postcount=159

 

[Hitokiri03]

Only bad news coming from Sony's WWS lately.

 

[injurai]

Times are changing. Efficiency is key in AAA games survival.

Hopefully this is the case. It's something that needed to happen a long time ago. Just very unfortunate because so many studios closed because of last gen practices, and to fix things even more people need to be laid off.

 

[IncandescentPrecept]

One bad game that went through not-so-good development is enough to delete an entire track record made of good-to-outstanding games and to shit on a 20-years old team? Woah

And the past few Ratchet and Clank games?

 

[LilWayneSuckz]

Please let Guerilla Cambridge work on a PS4 Killzone or a new IP, they are more competent than GG if KZ:Mercenary is any indication.

Very sorry for those affected. Stay safe DemonNite

 

[Freeman]

This shatters my confidence on Sony, I"ll be delaying my purchase of a PS4 until they prove again that they can maintain the same level of support from internal studios as they had with PS3.

To think this is happening while the PS4 is a wild success...

 

[mangochutney]

Which studios are involved in the VR project?, I hope Sony aren't spreading themselves to thinly. The studios shouldn't be judged on Vita and VR titles, give the talent a chance on the PS4 before anymore cutting takes place.

London made one (or all?) of the demos at GDC.

This shatters my confidence on Sony, I"ll be delaying my purchase of a PS4 until they prove again that they can maintain the same level of support from internal studios as they had with PS3.

To think this is happening while the PS4 is a wild success...

As Bundy posted earlier in this thread, similar cancelled projects and people leaving in droves happened last generation too.

It just lacked NeoGAF hysteria to make you shit your pants over it.

 

[Doran902]

I always feel bad for people who lose their jobs, but there is a lot of money involved in things like Driveclub and Killzone. Maybe the upper management wasn't happy with the review scores for Killzone and they needed to make a change. Maybe they wen't WAY WAY over budget on Driveclub because it was suppose to be out last year and needed to try and lower the cost of production. There is so much money involved that if management sees failure they need to make changes. No idea why London. Hope everyone lands on their feet.

 

[Aquamarine]

This shatters my confidence on Sony, I"ll be delaying my purchase of a PS4 until they prove again that they can maintain the same level of support from internal studios as they had with PS3.

To think this is happening while the PS4 is a wild success...

Restructure or not, this bunch of bad press isn't exactly inspiring me to be faithful in Sony's 1st-party studios...it just leaves me more worried than anything, and I don't want to invest in an ecosystem that doesn't seem stable.

I guess I'll wait until it settles down.

 

[Amentallica]

This shatters my confidence on Sony, I"ll be delaying my purchase of a PS4 until they prove again that they can maintain the same level of support from internal studios as they had with PS3.

To think this is happening while the PS4 is a wild success...

To think it wouldn't happen while it's a success so that they can manage their assets and finances better.

 

[Famassu]

This shatters my confidence on Sony, I"ll be delaying my purchase of a PS4 until they prove again that they can maintain the same level of support from internal studios as they had with PS3.

To think this is happening while the PS4 is a wild success...

Again, with these fire-offs + the previous ones at SSM, they seem to have cancelled 3-4 games. They had "over 30" games in production by Shu's words earlier this year. Even with these cancellations, SCEWWS should have around 30 games in production still. In the worst case scenario "over 30" meant 31 and that'd mean they "only" have 27 games in development at the moment, which is still a lot. They might've had 36 games in production, in which case they'd still have over 30 games in production. I wouldn't freak out about their output capabilities quite yet.

Plus it's not like they haven't added to their repertoire. They bought Sucker Punch, Guerilla has grown since PS3 days, Naughty Dog has two creative teams, they are trying to pull Japan Studios back together etc.

 

[VLiberty]

And the past few Ratchet and Clank games?

Have you played them? FFA and A4O are spin offs and they're good at it. Haven't played ACiT or Nexus yet, but I heard that they are respectively an amazing and a great game.

Heck, even Resistance 2 was nowhere near to be a bad game, though, as I already said, they made some choices that I definitely didn't like and that probably contributed to kill the interest in the franchise. I've yet to play R3 but I heard great thing about that too, so yeah, you got a bad game to take down a great track record.

 

[Oppo]

This shatters my confidence on Sony, I"ll be delaying my purchase of a PS4 until they prove again that they can maintain the same level of support from internal studios as they had with PS3.

To think this is happening while the PS4 is a wild success...

I love concern trolling like this... you cannot possibly be serious. Or you are a delicate flower indeed.

 

[BlackBuzzard]

Have you played them? FFA and A4O are spin offs and they're good at it. Haven't played ACiT or Nexus yet, but I heard that they are respectively an amazing and a great game.

Heck, even Resistance 2 was nowhere near to be a bad game, though, as I already said, they made some choices that I definitely didn't like and that probably contributed to kill the interest in the franchise. I've yet to play R3 but I heard great thing about that too, so yeah, you got a bad game to take down a great track record.

FFA,A4O and Resistance 2. Are all bad games the best Insomniac has made in the PS3 gen is ACIT, with Resistance 3 singleplayer being close second and its multiplayer being garbage tier.

 

[immortal-joe]

I know they're trimming the fat, but the fat is what makes their studios so delicious : _ (

 

[IncandescentPrecept]

Seems it's all OK in Sony land.


Cambridge.

Cambridge doesn't have the skills the create a game - engine and tech, etc.

 

[Freeman]

I love concern trolling like this... you cannot possibly be serious. Or you are a delicate flower indeed.

What? That was just my opinion. If the PlayStation division will be affected by the whole Sony financial situation, I think it is wise for me to delay my purchase and reevaluate in the future. How is that trolling?

 

[Dragon]

Restructure or not, this bunch of bad press isn't exactly inspiring me to be faithful in Sony's 1st-party studios...it just leaves me more worried than anything, and I don't want to invest in an ecosystem that doesn't seem stable.

I guess I'll wait until it settles down.

You invested in Wii U, come on this isn't about 'stability'. You've been very vocal in the past regarding Sony, let's call a spade a spade and quit it with the disingenuousness.

What? That was just my opinion. If the PlayStation division will be affected by the whole Sony financial situation, I think it is wise for me to delay my purchase and reevaluate in the future. How is that trolling?

You're certainly welcome to your opinion, but there have been multiple layoffs at Sony Studios in the past few months, just not sure why suddenly this is the one that tips you over.

 

[Nightengale]

I'm definitely concerned at this development, but I think this makes for a good reflection point for Sony come E3/Gamescom.

So far, all we've heard are the bad news, but at the same time, it's true that the good things that go on within these studios go completely unheard for unannounced titles.

Just a few more months.

 

[Oersted]

I know they're trimming the fat, but the fat is what makes their studios so delicious : _ (

The way everytime we talk about people here ....:/

 

[Corpsepyre]

Let me get this right. Guerilla Cambridge was NOT the one working on that new IP, correct? Would be a shame if that rumoured new RPG was affected. Need more new IPs now, considering that SSM is not coming out with one anytime soon.

 

[noobasuar]

Must hurt morale at all Sony studios knowing that Sony can't go more than a few days without laying off someone else.

Tough buisness to be in when you're in danger of layoffs when you don't sell 5+ million copies of your game. What a broken industry.

 

[Wildarmsjecht]

The doom is gloom is what I came into this thread for...

And my god has it delivered.

Calm your panties people. This happens soooooo often it shouldn't even be affecting you like this. Studios lose people, restructure, then get more people. More games are made and if they're not up to snuff, they get shut down. Leaving room for a new start up to wow us and become a new studio.

Its a tulmutuous roller coaster ride that's prevalent in all industries especially the gaming one. Social media and console warz have just made it that much more news worthy.

Since the studies haven't been explicitly shut down (and we even have Rushy and Demonite chiming in to pretty much confirm this), I look forward to the games that these studios will still be outputting.

My condolences to those who lost their job during this process, and I hope they take this negative and find a way to create a new positive out of it.

Simmer down folks.

 

[immortal-joe]

The way everytime we talk about people here ....:/

Drown me in the fat oh nomnomnom

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Dave Lang said things are amazing right now tho.

 

[Sidewinder]

Good luck to those affected.

It is worrying to hear about all of these layoffs at Sony studios. While I'm not going into panic mode quite yet, if they don't have anything new to announce at E3, I'll be officially worried for the future output of Sony's 1st party.

 

[Sid]

Cambridge doesn't have the skills the create a game - engine and tech, etc.

Sony can help them then,they certainly have the talent.

 

[Wynnebeck]

This shatters my confidence on Sony, I"ll be delaying my purchase of a PS4 until they prove again that they can maintain the same level of support from internal studios as they had with PS3.

To think this is happening while the PS4 is a wild success...

Lol This actually made me laugh out of disbelief.

 

[Freeman]

You're certainly welcome to your opinion, but there have been multiple layoffs at Sony Studios in the past few months, just not sure why suddenly this is the one that tips you over.

Because it adds to the other ones? It might not be anything, it might even be better for Sony, but it might also affect their output of games the main reason I'm interested on the PS4. E3 is wright around the corner, lets see what gets announced there.

Lol This actually made me laugh out of disbelief.

Ok. Maybe its the language barrier, but I can't understand what is so unreasonable in what I said.

 

[Nothing1016]

Man this sucks. Hopefully the community reaches out to all these devs and find them some employment. I understand the restructuring is necessary but it always feels so brutal.

This is actually one area where I give Iwata and Nintendo tons of credit. They refuse to cut jobs. Pretty secure place to work if your a Japanese developer.

 

[IncandescentPrecept]

Must hurt morale at all Sony studios knowing that Sony can't go more than a few days without laying off someone else.

Tough buisness to be in when you're in danger of layoffs when you don't sell 5+ million copies of your game. What a broken industry.

I think it could motivate them to work better.

 

[Aquamarine]

You invested in Wii U, come on this isn't about 'stability'. You've been very vocal in the past regarding Sony, let's call a spade a spade and quit it with the disingenuousness.

Really? Come on man, the level of discourse here should be above petty searches through post histories. Focus on what I'm saying at face value, not some kind of manufactured "hypocrisy" because of some sort of perceived "bias."

So far, all we've heard are the bad news, but at the same time, it's true that the good things that go on within these studios go completely unheard for unannounced titles.

Just a few more months.

It's always good to have perspective regarding these things. Sony's unannounced lineup can still dazzle...I can't wait to see what WWS has up their sleeves in terms of surprises! Their potential is outstanding.

I really hope we'll see more of this positivity start to counter-balance all of these negative vibes. It's never good for suspicion and doubt to start creeping up and overwhelm the eventual rewards.

 

[RPGamer92]

Must hurt morale at all Sony studios knowing that Sony can't go more than a few days without laying off someone else.

Tough buisness to be in when you're in danger of layoffs when you don't sell 5+ million copies of your game. What a broken industry.

Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch aren't sweating. Santa Monica was much bigger than those 2 which is probably primarily why it was hit with layoffs.

 

[GeoMatrix]

Anyone remember same thing happen around Ps3 release, studios shrunk, we had 2 cool looking new IPs get canned (RIP Eight Days) stuff like this happens, its definitely not new. I do feel bad for those guys out of a job now, but I'm sure they will find something. Chill out

 

[StevieP]

You invested in Wii U, come on this isn't about 'stability'. You've been very vocal in the past regarding Sony, let's call a spade a spade and quit it with the disingenuousness.



You're certainly welcome to your opinion, but there have been multiple layoffs at Sony Studios in the past few months, just not sure why suddenly this is the one that tips you over.

Nintendo's console is absolutely tanking and they're expanding as a company.

To think it wouldn't happen while it's a success so that they can manage their assets and finances better.

Each box is sold for a loss. It's short term thinking on Sony's part and unfortunate.

 

[Raist]

Well, shit. GC and London studio might just be the consequence of having released stuff not long ago, but can't be good for Evo.
Rushy, post if you're OK.

 

[Wildarmsjecht]

Well, shit.
Rushy, post if you're OK.

He has. He's okay. DC is not affected.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

The doom is gloom is what I came into this thread for...

And my god has it delivered.

Calm your panties people. This happens soooooo often it shouldn't even be affecting you like this. Studios lose people, restructure, then get more people. More games are made and if they're not up to snuff, they get shut down. Leaving room for a new start up to wow us and become a new studio.

Its a tulmutuous roller coaster ride that's prevalent in all industries especially the gaming one. Social media and console warz have just made it that much more news worthy.

Since the studies haven't been explicitly shut down (and we even have Rushy and Demonite chiming in to pretty much confirm this), I look forward to the games that these studios will still be outputting.

My condolences to those who lost their job during this process, and I hope they take this negative and find a way to create a new positive out of it.

Simmer down folks.

Great post.

This happens so often at third parties that we soon forget about it. It seems more noteworthy because it happened at a first party studio that we usually don't hear about doing this.

 

[noobasuar]

I think it could motivate them to work better.

I highly doubt that.

 

[ElectricKaibutsu]

What is going on at Sony? Is the PS4 not doing well? Should they not be expanding? How can the Wii U be doing terribly and Nintendo is actively hiring people? This makes no sense!

 

[Oersted]

Drown me in the fat oh nomnomnom

Are you trying to be funny?

I think it could motivate them to work better.

Oh boy.

 

[Ricky_R]

What is going on at Sony? Is the PS4 not doing well? Should they not be expanding? How can the Wii U be doing terribly and Nintendo is actively hiring people? This makes no sense!

It's called restructuring and Sony was way over due.

 

[Wynnebeck]

Ok. Maybe its the language barrier, but I can't understand what is so unreasonable in what I said.

It's unreasonable because you are taking something that normally happens in this industry and extrapolating to make it seem as if Sony has no games and support. It's insanity.

 

[entremet]

I always felt the PS3 generation was an outlier in terms of 1st party output from Sony. They spent a lot of money on series that never caught on. So they're trimming the fat now.

Sad about people losing their jobs, but that clip was not sustainable in the long run.

 

[Texhex]

Good luck to those affected.

It is worrying to hear about all of these layoffs at Sony studios. While I'm not going into panic mode quite yet, if they don't have anything new to announce at E3, I'll be officially worried for the future output of Sony's 1st party.

Worried, when they have more AAA teams then Microsoft or Nintendo?

People are funny here.
Dat hyperbole.

 

[IncandescentPrecept]

What is going on at Sony? Is the PS4 not doing well? Should they not be expanding? How can the Wii U be doing terribly and Nintendo is actively hiring people? This makes no sense!

Simply because Nintendo doesn't have the capabilities to compete at a global level with the current staff level so they are hiring.

Sony's games studios are also hiring where people are needed.

 

[Portugeezer]

I think they're just setting up for the new generation.

Hopefully next month (new fiscal year) will be the end of this and they can get back to focussing on making the games.