GoddyofAus
Banned
25 employees isn't the sort of thing to cause a massive drama over.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Valve Layoffs: Several (25?) cut as Valve makes 'large decisions' about its future
- Thread starter Kifimbo
- Start date
If they were to just create a spec for third-party devs to work within, I think that'd be a much better hardware model. I don't really see a reason valve needs to sell their own steam boxes. Honestly, I don't even want the full steam box they were talking of making. I'm much more interested in the cheap, streaming from my PC solution that they mentioned others are looking at doing.
grimshawish
Banned
Well put.
Indeed.
GregLombardi
Member
Just because Valve is rolling in it doesn't mean they should keep employees around that aren't contributing to the direction or organizational structure that makes a good company.
Good luck to those affected though.
Good luck to those affected though.
zephervack
Member
I guess not even Valve can support a bunch of dreamers working on stuff that might not make money back.
I always thought that given enough time, the brilliant minds at Valve would produce something earth shattering, even if it takes them 10 years.
I always thought that given enough time, the brilliant minds at Valve would produce something earth shattering, even if it takes them 10 years.
Basileus777
Member
I hope this is a sign Valve is sticking with making software and not focusing on grandiose hardware dreams.
Nope, you won't hear a damned thing.
He certainly wouldn't go to Dice a couple a days ago and talk about the need to get into the living room. Talk about the good/better/best Steambox. Talk about local streaming being the future. Talk about all that, and days later, can everything.
It seems like they've been experimenting in a million different directions. It's only natural, at some point, you decide on a couple directions you want to take and then drop all the other experiments. That's how products are made.
balladofwindfishes
Member
More releases in? For a company where only like 50 people work on any single game, I find their releases to be incredibly aggressive. They usually do 1-2 (AAA) games a year, which you'd be hard pressed to find another company of 300 that are able to output that much quality that rapidly with such a small team.
What do you want their output to be? Yearly L4D releases or something?
I don't really think it is. Gabe seems really committed to doing some sort of hardware. He's really interested in making future tech. I suspect this is them just cutting some projects that weren't working out as they'd hoped.
I believe that it's approximately 10% of the rumored Valve workforce so it's a decent amount.
Prophet Steve
Member
Valve has relatively few employees compared to big companies and I don't think there never has been such a big layoff at Valve. Also, these are most likely very talented individuals and it seems to raise the question what they are planning with this.
grimshawish
Banned
What? By removing resources from silly side projects they can put more resources into games and general software. E.g. enlarge.
Am not quite sure how your point fits in there.
Lactose_Intolerant
Member
I'm going to guess they won't be making the steambox and will just allow other manufacturers meet their specs for each tier that they lay out.
where's this from? lol
wow does seem like a lot of people, guess maybe the steam box thing isnt happening perhaps
if i were to jump with everyone else i mean lol
That's what I'm thinking.
The Hermit
Member
A Valve layoff...never expect to actually see one.
I hope one of those large decisions includes the use of the number 3 in the title of games.
I hope one of those large decisions includes the use of the number 3 in the title of games.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Because if there's one thing Nintendo needs, it's some North American hardware designers and some Android app makers
1st Course
Member
Their linkedin profile list a 312 registered employee atm:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/valve-corporation
AHA-Lambda
Member
Woah, wtf?! O_O
Is Steambox and the controller a dud now or something?
Is Steambox and the controller a dud now or something?
NeededSleep
Member
Wonder if this is a shift away from the hardware sceen. Who knows they could of been approached by MS or Sony after the steambox show off.
Could of been promissed complete freedom on their systems in exchange for not continuing down the hardware road.
/tinfoil hat
Could of been promissed complete freedom on their systems in exchange for not continuing down the hardware road.
/tinfoil hat
Didn't they find that there were no meaningful advances to be made as far as peripherals go? Or am I imagining things? It would be in line with what's happening.
While that is a nice aphorism I cringe every time he's quoted or invoked like some wise sage.
About 5% actually.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
- Kenny Rogers
jesus christ what a jump
Valve's headcount
I think he's being facetious.
grimshawish
Banned
Valve take a cut of the revenue. They then have to run the Steam Service and pay for the organisational costs and server costs. Its not free.
Am not saying their sitting on no money and having a panic; they just can't go on paying them and not be making a loss that makes the rest of the company inflexible.
Either they've killed the hardware side; or they've got a tech company whose agreed to push a Steam Box for them and Steam just provide the service side.
That's not what it sounds like at all.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
hahaha after the ubisoft stuff you can never tell
Quadraphonic
Member
Valve layoffs were LONG overdue. They had a lot of groups they hired wholesale when they should have been more discriminating who was needed from that team.
I H8 Memes
Member
but but but.... gaf taught me that valve is the perfect company, that it bypasses all economy logics and that nothing bad can happen there
who woulve tought
This post makes you sound like a simpleton.
Circle Jerk
Member
its better 2 burn out then 2 fade away.............
-kurt cobian
It would be similar to EA laying off 500-700 people if you compare the size of the two companies.
That said, Valve seems to be doing a lot of exploratory R&D into projects that are only tangentially related to their core business. Perhaps they decided to refocus some of their efforts? Software developers can just be switched to a different project if a game or steam add-on is canned. It's more difficult to do that with hardware engineers and other specialized people.
GillianSeed79
Member
Hopefully the hardware they were talking about was the crazy wearable biometric screen thing-a-majig Gabe has been going on about for the past few years and not the Steambox. As far as the Steambox, I thought it was always about Valve not actually manufacturing the hardware but having other manufacturers create Steambox-branded devices like what the 3DO tried to do years ago. Maybe the the recent CES showings of "prototypes" weren't as well received as they had hoped, especially if they spent a ton of money on R&D.
This. GabeN has mentioned over the past few days of them needing to be more strict on firing. Guess this was the time.
D
Deleted member 102362
Unconfirmed Member
Best of luck to everyone let go.
A while ago, Gabe said that, and I'm paraphrasing, if 50 people who met Valve's employment qualifications applied to the company and passed the interview process, all 50 would be hired. I take it that this is no longer the case, if these firings were indeed motivated by efficiency.
A while ago, Gabe said that, and I'm paraphrasing, if 50 people who met Valve's employment qualifications applied to the company and passed the interview process, all 50 would be hired. I take it that this is no longer the case, if these firings were indeed motivated by efficiency.