Support NeoGAF

[Jimmyfenix]

Not sure if serious.gif

Yeah, the one who localized Bravely Default, Tingle DS, Inazuma Eleven, Xenoblade Chronicles, etc...

SMT IV though

CVG:

Damn :/

 

[Haunted]

*salutes*

Großostheim has always been NoE HQ since my childhood.

 

[Azull]

Jesus that sucks, hopefully all 130 find something quickly. When was the last time lay-offs happened at Nintendo anyways?

 

[The_Super_Inframan]

Oh...
That sucks...

A friend of mine works there, I think I should call him...

 

[Frankfurter]

OK, some more info from someone who works there: The 130 who are being let go are mainly warehouse and related staff, which will be closed and completely outsourced, so they don't have the option to move to Frankfurt.

In addition, about 190 leasing staff from Frankfurt will also be made redundant. And just to be clear, we're not talking staff hired for short-term projects, but people who have worked there for years. Most of those are from localization, which will also be partly outsourced in the future.

Uhoh :/ That could mean bad things for future localizations.

 

[Terxus]

OK, some more info from someone who works there: The 130 who are being let go are mainly warehouse and related staff, which will be closed and completely outsourced, so they don't have the option to move to Frankfurt.

In addition, about 190 leasing staff from Frankfurt will also be made redundant. And just to be clear, we're not talking staff hired for short-term projects, but people who have worked there for years. Most of those are from localization, which will also be partly outsourced in the future.

Noooo
Nintendo has some of the best german translators in the industry, why would they do that?

 

[Morfeo]

Hope they all get new jobs soon!

 

[ElusiveCoder]

n addition, about 190 leasing staff from Frankfurt will also be made redundant. And just to be clear, we're not talking staff hired for short-term projects, but people who have worked there for years. Most of those are from localization, which will also be partly outsourced in the future.

Leasing staff are just temporary agency workers. They're hired for as long as they're good to enough to get the job done and as long as there is enough work for them to do. They cost more than normal staff due to agency fees but the idea is that they're supposed to be more economical due to the additional flexibility that they offer.

But if you have temp staff that have been there for a long time, that agency model isn't working very well. Or maybe it's just time to trim the herd and take advantage of that flexibility.

 

[NotLiquid]

OK, some more info from someone who works there: The 130 who are being let go are mainly warehouse and related staff, which will be closed and completely outsourced, so they don't have the option to move to Frankfurt.

In addition, about 190 leasing staff from Frankfurt will also be made redundant. And just to be clear, we're not talking staff hired for short-term projects, but people who have worked there for years. Most of those are from localization, which will also be partly outsourced in the future.

The last part seems like a probable cause for concern seeing how on-the-ball NoE has been with certain games as of late.

 

[Zornica]

OK, some more info from someone who works there: The 130 who are being let go are mainly warehouse and related staff, which will be closed and completely outsourced, so they don't have the option to move to Frankfurt.

In addition, about 190 leasing staff from Frankfurt will also be made redundant. And just to be clear, we're not talking staff hired for short-term projects, but people who have worked there for years. Most of those are from localization, which will also be partly outsourced in the future.

I just died a little inside.

 

[iidesuyo]

This sounds like a rather desperate decision, especially outsourcing the translations... I mean WTF? Nintendo has some of the best translators, one can feel that these guys know what they are doing. The German version of Wario Ware Smooth Moves is awesome.

But I guess the Japanese will just look at numbers and say "we can save money here" :-(

 

[scamander]

Welcome to the Future

 

[Visualante2]

They've been massively under performing across Europe. So it makes some sense to cut the fat from the Wii and DS days.

 

[ElusiveCoder]

The quality of the translation has more to do with the permanent senior staff than the leasing staff. As long as the senior guys who organise it keep on making sure everything is done to a high standard, I don't think outsourcing will cause a downturn in quality.

If they were outsourcing ALL of the translation process, then I'd be worried.

 

[iidesuyo]

Welcome to the Future

Lol, took me some time to actually notice the typo.


Man, I miss those old Club Nintendo days. A free magazine every two months done by people who actually cared.

 

[Data Elemental]

Ow! This is sad. Großostheim was always a place I associated with Nintendo, since reading its name on some printed Nintendo stuff. Possibly in the official Club Nintendo magazine back then. Also feel bad for the employees that are getting laid off.

Here's a picture of the Großostheim HQ: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Großostheim_Nintendo_20110127.jpg

It sure looks like a Nintendo building.

 

[The_Almighty_Swan]

Wow the timing of this is crazy considering there was an article on Kotaku about layoffs in the game industry. There was a part in there commenting on how Nintendo pretty much never lays anybody off and then BOOM!!! this news comes to fruition. Crazy

 

[Data Elemental]

For me (as European, living in Germany no less) Großostheim was a part of Nintendo's identity. There's this huge entertainment company from Japan and yet they're kinda "local" for lack of a better word. Huge and small at the same time. Shame, but I'm sure it makes sense and all.

That's pretty much the same way I felt about it. Well put.

 

[Deku Tree]

Not good news.

 

[m.i.s.]

Woah, not even Nintendo staff will be spared from the coming dedicated gaming apocalypse.

But what does the great post-impressionistic and post-modern poet, Mark Corrigan, make of such matters?

 

[Yamauchi]

That's a pretty major restructuring move. Sorry to hear about the likely 130 job losses but hoping Nintendo can get a handle on its fiscal situation.

 

[danielcw]

I'm surprised they even had two in Germany.

Me too.

This article
http://www.main-netz.de/nachrichten/wirtschaft/wirtschaft/art4208,3089986
also mentions a facility in Hamburg, but I assume it is a typo.
Having a warehouse in Hamburg for central distribution across Europe would make sense though.

Closing Großostheim is super weird, though, since it was their main warehouse in Europe. Not sure where they are storing their stuff now.

Maybe, with the current lower sales volume and better logistical management (outsourcing, renting), they do not need much storage.

 

[Occam]

Those 130 people who did not get an offer to move to Frankfurt are largely warehouse workers who are simply no longer needed. Nintendo is trying to help these people and are also paying them severance packages. Frankfurt is now Nintendo's European HQ, and they will still have warehouses in Germany in the future, just in better logistical locations than Großostheim.

 

[Tenki]

Those 130 people who did not get an offer to move to Frankfurt are largely warehouse workers who are simply no longer needed. Nintendo is trying to help these people and are also paying them severance packages. Frankfurt is now Nintendo's European HQ, and they will still have warehouses in Germany in the future, just in better logistical locations than Großostheim.

Good to hear that those people are warehouse workers and not translators. Even better that Nintendo is helping them.

 

[Opinionatedfish]

Doesn't NOA already outsource some of their translation work?

I mean... didn't some of the people from that 84 podcast work on Fire Emblem Awakening?

So, if NOE outsources a little.. maybe they'll get things done a little more quickly?

130 people though.

Remember in January when Zynga laid off about 314 people?

Sometimes, I think Nintendo is really sticky about their employees. Kind of clingy compared to other companies. Also, they tend to keep you where you are when you start, well.. at least Nintendo of America does.

 

[Plinko]

Sad for those who may be losing jobs.

As for Nintendo, this has been a long time coming.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

Doesn't NOA already outsource some of their translation work?

I mean... didn't some of the people from that 84 podcast work on Fire Emblem Awakening?

8-4s first Nintendo title was Mario Power Tennis on the GBA. In case you were implying that ouitsourcing was a recent thing.