They took a gamble with Haze, and lost big time. Sucks to be them, and I hope the people laid off land on their feet. What a shitty timing.
<backseat analyst>
Still, this is pretty exemplary for the broken model we've got going on right now: If your big game crashes and burns, it takes the whole company with it. Diversifying is key to avoid something like that. As much as I'd love to be in the "Shoulda maed Wii gaem lulz" camp, the fact remains that they were betting on a single horse (the Starwars game), with apparently nary a backup plan.
Develop another good game on a another viable platform, maybe some downloadable XBLA/Wiiware/PSN/Steam/Impulse/whateverthefuckelse games. This way the whole company can stay afloat even if some parts are currently out of work. Sure, there will be layoffs if a deal falls through like that, but at least the core of he company can stay in business for a little while.
On the other hand, more teams require even more capital, even if it minimizes the risk. So I guess it's a problem inherent to the current situation: the industry is running out of moneys. Each single project is eating up too many resources, so instead of projects being developed in parallel they're now being started up sequentially. We need a fix to that problem ASAP, or the next couple of months are gonna be brutal.
</>
<fanboy rant>
On topic of the Wii, I believe that ship has sailed. All the franchises have transplanted their respective fanbases from the older consoles to the HD consoles; they're unlikely to follow to another console mid-generation unless an increase in quality is guaranteed, which is practically impossible without experienced Wii coders/artists and former experience wih the whole platform - and I doubt experienced staff can easily be "bought", those are barely available due to shitty last-gen GC numbers and wrong forecasts.
I believe the fanbase aspect is pretty nicely demonstrated by the CoD5 numbers. Or it could be my fanboyism. I dunno, really. At least in my eyes, it makes sense. Couple that with the 3rd party stigma and budding competition by smaller/leaner 3rd parties, and they're faced with the proposition of clawing their way into a "closed" market, a daunting task at best. They missed the train, and now it's gonna cost them dearly. Couple that with the fact(?) that Nintendo doesn't give two shits about 3rd parties, they allow them to sell games on their platform, that's all. At least that's the impression I get. So... they're fucked proper until the market resets the next time.
</>
Anyway, back on topic: Good luck, Ex-Free Radical guys. "Break a leg". I hope you'll find (enjoyable) employment ASAP again.
<backseat analyst>
Still, this is pretty exemplary for the broken model we've got going on right now: If your big game crashes and burns, it takes the whole company with it. Diversifying is key to avoid something like that. As much as I'd love to be in the "Shoulda maed Wii gaem lulz" camp, the fact remains that they were betting on a single horse (the Starwars game), with apparently nary a backup plan.
Develop another good game on a another viable platform, maybe some downloadable XBLA/Wiiware/PSN/Steam/Impulse/whateverthefuckelse games. This way the whole company can stay afloat even if some parts are currently out of work. Sure, there will be layoffs if a deal falls through like that, but at least the core of he company can stay in business for a little while.
On the other hand, more teams require even more capital, even if it minimizes the risk. So I guess it's a problem inherent to the current situation: the industry is running out of moneys. Each single project is eating up too many resources, so instead of projects being developed in parallel they're now being started up sequentially. We need a fix to that problem ASAP, or the next couple of months are gonna be brutal.
</>
<fanboy rant>
On topic of the Wii, I believe that ship has sailed. All the franchises have transplanted their respective fanbases from the older consoles to the HD consoles; they're unlikely to follow to another console mid-generation unless an increase in quality is guaranteed, which is practically impossible without experienced Wii coders/artists and former experience wih the whole platform - and I doubt experienced staff can easily be "bought", those are barely available due to shitty last-gen GC numbers and wrong forecasts.
I believe the fanbase aspect is pretty nicely demonstrated by the CoD5 numbers. Or it could be my fanboyism. I dunno, really. At least in my eyes, it makes sense. Couple that with the 3rd party stigma and budding competition by smaller/leaner 3rd parties, and they're faced with the proposition of clawing their way into a "closed" market, a daunting task at best. They missed the train, and now it's gonna cost them dearly. Couple that with the fact(?) that Nintendo doesn't give two shits about 3rd parties, they allow them to sell games on their platform, that's all. At least that's the impression I get. So... they're fucked proper until the market resets the next time.
</>
Anyway, back on topic: Good luck, Ex-Free Radical guys. "Break a leg". I hope you'll find (enjoyable) employment ASAP again.
I loved Timesplitters 2.
