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[jetsetfluken]

Does this have anything to do with the TOS update and "SNEA" switch that is happening tomorrow?

 

[StealthGoblin]

Does this have anything to do with the TOS update and "SNEA" switch that is happening tomorrow?

Probably not. SNEA will be managing and maintaining PSN in NA. SOE did not do that.

 

[exwallst]

The dollars, studios, and jobs killed by MMOs is staggering. Who runs strategy for these companies? It's like they looked at Coca Cola and say "wow, what a great business selling sugar water for a huge profit. I can do that."

 

[Zoibie]

Damnit. I was really looking forward to The Agency. Incredible to see so many layoffs.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Sounds like some downsizing after DCUO launch and some trimming on top.

 

[TheOddOne]

Sounds like some downsizing after DCUO launch and some trimming on top.

Closing studios is not downsizing.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

George Broussard? Check.
Posts of "I hope everyone lands on their feet ok!?"
Posts of "FUCK <insert company doing layoffs>"
Posts arguing whether these are real layoffs or "seasonal adjustments"

GAF you're getting too predictable.

Otherwise, George always seems to get it right, so these rumors are probably true. I hope everyone affected lands on their feet OK. SOE can go fuck themselves as far as I'm concerned, their projects were looking good. It sounds like these are real layoffs and not seasonal or planned, so sad news.

 

[Kintaro]

I...can't say I'm surprised. SOE always seemed way too bloated as a whole. The Agency debacle has been the writing on the wall for several years.

Sucks for those who lost their jobs.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Closing studios is not downsizing.

Trimming?

 

[Iadien]

Hopefully this means SoE is focusing more on Everquest Next and Planetside Next.

 

[TheOddOne]

Trimming?

Same meaning as downsizing.

 

[AwRy108]

One of their main titles--FreeRealms--launched on PS3 this week after being on PC for several years, and the servers are still down. Can't say I'm too surprised to see them laying off people.

Also have bad memories of when they tried to add online play the 2nd Champions of Norrath, and it never EVER worked correctly. Maybe the "O" in their name stands for "Offline"...

 

[ShortDarkAndUgly]

He used to run an industry gossip site years ago.

fatbabies?

 

[BattleMonkey]

The dollars, studios, and jobs killed by MMOs is staggering. Who runs strategy for these companies? It's like they looked at Coca Cola and say "wow, what a great business selling sugar water for a huge profit. I can do that."

I wouldn't be surprised if far more studios and jobs have been lost to non MMO projects. We constantly hear of studios laying off or closing down who have nothing to do with MMOs

 

[Corto]

SOE (and subsequently SCEA) need to get their shit in order.

This. So much this... MS is eating their lunch from the beginning of the generation (Nintendo ate their breakfast, brunch and supper). SOE seemed bloated considering the output they had.

 

[LM4sure]

hah, wasn't the agency supposed to be some amazing exclusive game? guess not.

 

[Chris_C]

hah, wasn't the agency supposed to be some amazing exclusive game? guess not.

You're thinking of Agent from Rockstar.

Terrible to hear about the layoffs, but SOE really do need to get their act together, compared to Sony's other first party studios their output and the quality of it has been quite poor.

 

[exwallst]

fatbabies was great, why doesn't someone bring it back?

 

[-PXG-]

Doesn't shock me at all.

Hell I just posted about this a day or so ago.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=26790427&postcount=41

I was just about to quote that very post.

 

[D2M15]

fatbabies was great, why doesn't someone bring it back?

Because now blogs, forums and social networks are widespread enough for every bitter, jaded industry employee to anonymously bitch on their own!

 

[squatingyeti]

I hope agency doesn't get cancelled. I actually thought it had very good ideas and some promise for a strong game.

Can we blame Hotz?

Spoiler

Anyone that has seen me post knows that's a joke and an attempt to say it before some nut does.

 

[LM4sure]

You're thinking of Agent from Rockstar.

Terrible to hear about the layoffs, but SOE really do need to get their act together, compared to Sony's other first party studios their output and the quality of it has been quite poor.

oh you're right. well what the hell happened to agent then?

 

[Morn]

Probably not. SNEA will be managing and maintaining PSN in NA. SOE did not do that.

SNEA is just handling the billing side of things. The money. The technical side of PSN is still looked after by SOE who designed it.

 

[hunter7725]

Closing studios is not downsizing.

My company called it 'Rightsizing'

 

[Acosta]

Sad news, best of lucks to everyone involved.

 

[Apath]

Sorry to hear about the losses of employment, but SOE sucks. Bastards fucked Everquest -_-

 

[Vanillalite]

IGN PS3 The Agency Cancelled!

 

[TheOddOne]

IGN PS3 The Agency Cancelled!

3 Studios closed and 200 people let go is the worst part of this story. I hope they land on their feet.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Twitter sources say 205 layoffs. Denver, Tucson, Seattle offices closed.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

That's a damn shame.

 

[Morn]

IGN PS3 The Agency Cancelled!

I called this yesterday. Makes sense due to so many factors.

PlanetSide will do so much better than The Agency.

 

[StuBurns]

This sucks pretty hard, best of wishes to the guys and gals out of work, I hope they find their way to good places.

The Agency I'm surprised went on this long, I thought they'd canned it when the CD quit a while back.

 

[Carl]

Wow that sucks

 

[Audioboxer]

Guess that's what happens in 6 years of diddly squat. SOE really does pale in comparison so every other 1st party Sony studio.

Best of luck to anyone who lost a job today though.

 

[FLEABttn]

their projects were looking good.

Guess they weren't playing good.

 

[Morn]

Guess that's what happens in 6 years of diddly squat. SOE really does pale in comparison so every other 1st party Sony studio.

Best of luck to anyone who lost a job today though.

Agency was started before they were a first party. Back then they were still a third party.

PS Next and EQ Next are the first two games they've started on since being bought by SCEA.

 

[DMeisterJ]

Guess that's what happens in 6 years of diddly squat. SOE really does pale in comparison so every other 1st party Sony studio.

Best of luck to anyone who lost a job today though.

SCE was just about as useful as SCEJ :/

Sorry to all those who've lost jobs.

 

[MechaGodzilla]

Just found out my brother was one of the people layed off. That sucks.

 

[Morn]

Just found out my brother was one of the people layed off. That sucks.

From what studio? What did he do there?

 

[gl0w]

Bah....
Good luck for them.

 

[Audioboxer]

Agency was started before they were a first party. Back then they were still a third party.

PS Next and EQ Next are the first two games they've started on since being bought by SCEA.

Seems like that was a stupid takeover on Sony's behalf then. Maybe they would've done better staying 3rd party, now they've been gutted like a fish for struggling to produce anything.

I'd like to see some sort of PS3 MMO that isn't free realms, but it seems the development time scales are huge, and likelihood of success very small.

I guess that can be said for the whole MMO market mind you.

 

[MechaGodzilla]

To be honest, all I know is that he worked on DCU.

 

[DeadRockstar]

At some point I'd already stopped expecting The Agency to ever come out.

Sad for those that lost jobs though, good luck to them.

 

[ezekial45]

DCU Online not do well enough? The Agency cancellation doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[MechaGodzilla]

From what studio? What did he do there?

To be honest, all I know is that he worked on DCU.

wait... Why did it split into two separate posts? How do you delete a post?

 

[Duffyside]

Freaked out when I thought "The Agency" was "Agent." Still bummed though. I really liked the art style of The Agency. Too bad; they spent so much time on the game. That always strikes me as strange: when a developer/publisher spends 2, 3, even 5 years on a game and then it gets canceled. Why not release it and try to recoup some of the cost, even if it only sells 100k units? Publishing must cost a lot, but digital distribution doesn't fix that problem?

 

[Takao]

Nnnnnoooo, who will make me my PopCap ports for PSP?!

Spoiler

Man, I sound like such a terrible person. But I really can't say anything else. I've never played any actual SOE games outside of Untold Legends.

I hope most if not everyone laid off manages to get a stable job somewhere.

 

[Morn]

Seems like that was a stupid takeover on Sony's behalf then. Maybe they would've done better staying 3rd party, now they've been gutted like a fish for struggling to produce anything.

I'd like to see some sort of PS3 MMO that isn't free realms, but it seems the development time scales are huge, and likelihood of success very small.

I guess that can be said for the whole MMO market mind you.

If SCEA didn't take them over there wouldn't be a PSN.

Here's how the development of PSN happened:

Tokyo came up with a features list and sent it to SCEA. SCEA had no experience building an online infrastructure, but SOE did. SOE at the time was part of Sony Pictures and a third party to SCEA. SOE became Sony Online Entertainment, LLC and then was jointly owned by SPE and SCEA. SOE then began working on PSN by designing the entire back-end including the system publishers use to submit games while also implementing Tokyo's ass-backwards feature list that didn't include a universal friends list. Once PSN was done, SCEA bought SOE completely.

 

[Infinite Justice]

the only surprise was why it took so long to get canned.

sucks for those 200+ people though.

 

[Animator]

SOE (and subsequently SCEA) need to get their shit in order.

Sounds like that is exactly what they are doing.