Dyack dismayed by layoffs, anticipates growth in Ontario
by Xav de Matos 
{ Nov 28th 2009 at 5:30PM }
"Before, Ontario was a little isolated, there wasn't a lot of videogame companies here. But that's going to change. With all the positive steps that the government's done," Dyack told GamesIndustry.biz. Dyack's hopeful outlook for Ontario comes, in part, from Ubisoft's July announcement to open a new studio in Toronto -- a move Ubisoft hopes will bring 800 new jobs to the region over the next decade.
According to Dyack, new business in Ontario means the province will be able to combat recruiters who remove developer and designer graduates from the area. "It's really depressing going to [University of] Waterloo to recruit and we see that Microsoft was there before us and took all the best people. The tax payer paid for that education," he lamented. With development expanding in Ontario, Silicon Knights can finally start combing schools for talent to help produce the (Sweet Lord, make it happen) sequel to Eternal Darkness.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phix @ Nov 28th 2009 5:35PM
WTF even happened to Too Human? Did it really suck that bad? Wasn't it supposed to be some grand trilogy?
Special Agent Steve @ Nov 28th 2009 5:43PM
It was so amazing, and won so many GOTY awards, that God had to make it suck.
Dreaded Fear @ Nov 28th 2009 5:53PM
Up to the release of Too Human, Dyack was in the news a lot for not so favourable statements. He also seemed to piss of anyone who would give the game valid criticisms.
And Too Human was really that bad. I was actually excited for the game... until I played it.
devilsei @ Nov 28th 2009 6:11PM
God I remember reading it was, and every day I pray to the gaming gods not to let them make a 2nd. It was that horrible. They took one of the top books from the badass section of Mythology, and ruined it. It was, essentially, the Uwe Boll movie of the game industry (at least until Uwe Boll helped spread his horrid suckage to the consoles with "Tunnel Rats").
D dogg @ Nov 28th 2009 6:30PM
Bullshit, it was no where near as bad as these people are saying. The game had serious flaws but it showed a ton of promise. I would say that overall nothing was spectacular but also nothing was craptacular either.
It was fun to play through but it's definitely not a game I would have been comfortable with spending $60 on. If Silicon Knights takes all that criticism and develops part 2 with it all in mind, part 2 will be an amazing game.
Xero @ Nov 29th 2009 5:50PM
Too Human was a very polarizing game, with the majority of the opinions seeing the game as a horrible and broken experience.
That being said, there are still players who enjoy it, as everyone has different tastes. I was personally a fan of the game and hoped for a sequel. I know several friends that poured over 100 hours into Too Human, while I spent about 60 on it myself. I liken it cocaine. Its bad... but once you are hooked it is hard to quit.
Mr Khan @ Nov 28th 2009 5:37PM
I wouldn't think he would be one to talk. I mean, Silicon Knights has developed one game in the past 5+ years, and it didn't perform well. Not sure how they're still getting funding to recruit and expand in this environment
elmer @ Nov 29th 2009 10:25AM
I'm actually guessing he presided over the biggest game failure of the generation, nay, biggest single game failure of all time. Too Human's development budget (by their own documentation) was costed at $80 million BEFORE its last major delay and 'Epic' lawsuit (not sure how that turned out). That would already place it as one of the most expensive games of all time. Vgchartz - frankly the only datasource available - has it selling < 650,000 copies worldwide. Even at an unthinkable profitability of $60 per copy and rounding up to 700,000, that would be an absolute minimum of a $38,000,000.00 (extra 00'z for effect) loss. That's above the top end for the total spending on most high profile HD games. We can thank daddy warbucks (Microsoft) for the moneyhatting.
LiquidPrimus @ Nov 28th 2009 6:01PM
Hell yes for another Eternal Darkness. The Sanity Effects made it the best horror game ever.
Markez @ Nov 28th 2009 6:10PM
Chick in the bathtub.
One of the few moments in a game to ever make me jump out of my seat and shriek. I don't know if you can really call Eternal Darkness a horror game, but that moment was fantastic.
Super Nintendo Chalmers @ Nov 28th 2009 6:58PM
that bathtube scene scared me so much i turned the gamecube off instantly and didnt play eternal darkness again for 3 months.
thats why its one of (if not) the best game iv'e ever played
Hellion42 @ Nov 29th 2009 2:54AM
"The Sanity Effects made it the best horror game ever."
That and the fact that it had controls that didn't suck dilapidated rhinoceros scrotum. I much preferred ED's targeted combat system to the vague attack suggestions of RE. The whole turning-without-unneeded-molasses thing worked pretty good too.
Dahk @ Nov 28th 2009 6:11PM
WATERLOO REPRESENNNNT!
Can't help myself.
Darth Bradwart, The Dark Lord of the Sith [ATDF Co-Founder] @ Nov 28th 2009 6:18PM
That is something; for all the studios closing, the others are usually hiring talented people. Just because you're out of a job doesn't mean you stay that way for long.
sinai @ Nov 28th 2009 6:55PM
all these great developers getting laid off and dyack still has a job?
DEIR TEKKIN AR JERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRBSSS!
oxymoronx420 @ Nov 28th 2009 6:59PM
"The tax payer paid for that education"
Ummmm, no. They're called student loans Dyack. OSAP isn't a grant anymore.
When you complete school in Ontario you have to pay the cost of your loans + interest back to the province/federal gov't...
How can you blame UW grads for wanting to work for MS rather than drooling at job offers to be a small part of the team that contructs the epic death scene that you'll see far too often in the upcoming snoozefest Too Human 2: Electric Boogaloo?
This guy is so out of touch and full of shit, we can only hope that silicon knights goes under and he can free up his uber-talented employees to work for better companies like RIM or MS.
Just look at this interview about Too Human:
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/27/interview-dyack-addresses-too-human-complaints/
I leave you with this choice quote from Dyack:
"To me, framerate's not really that essential in cutscenes and it never has been"
djp123 @ Nov 28th 2009 7:36PM
Tuition is relatively low due to subsidies. State universities such as the University of California also have a similar arrangement, is the reason why residents would only pay 5K to attend undergrad at Berkeley whereas non-residents would pay 15K
Mr Khan @ Nov 28th 2009 8:07PM
That's another weird thing about his comment. Microsoft is the only reason (i would think) he and everyone who works for him isn't out on the streets right now. Obviously they're continuing to fund him after Too Human bombed, for some reason, why should he lament development talent going to the company that saved him from oblivion?
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Nov 28th 2009 7:02PM
I live in Ontario and even I think this guy is a f*cking moron.
I'm studying to go to OCAD so I can hopefully one day work in the industry.
You know what that means to me?
Not working in Ontario.
Too Human and Dark Sector are perfect examples of the types of games you can expect from a place like this. Almost no art style, just rehashed versions of stuff you haven't seen since 1998.
devilsei @ Nov 28th 2009 7:52PM
Honestly? I actually liked Dark Sector. Of the two games you mentioned, its worlds better. The concept itself was nice, the fact you had to scavenge for weapons while not blowing yourself up with them meant relying on your key weapon, the glaive, as well as its uses, none of which felt useless (Unlike Too Human and melee combat, or just combat, in general). It was one game I wouldn't mind playing again (unlike TH, which I have blotted out of my vision permanently as not to gaze into the horrid stare of its box art).
unboring @ Nov 29th 2009 3:28PM
im @ ocad too!
xLV426x @ Nov 29th 2009 7:04PM
I absolutely love Dark Sector. Too human was garbage, and dyack - i think - is extremely out of touch as a game developer.
Sure, Dark Sector wasn't the best game, - and a definite gears rip off... But it was a damn good one.
Hooded Miracle @ Nov 28th 2009 7:06PM
What benefits are their for game developers in Ontario?
I hear about it a lot, but I don't know much about it. >_>
The_Lam @ Nov 28th 2009 7:19PM
I graduated from University of Waterloo last year. I wish I were employed.
o CHUCK x @ Nov 28th 2009 8:33PM
Wow Xav, five posts in one day!! That's gotta be a record. If not, I will give you one yellow ten dollar bill.
Avatar @ Nov 29th 2009 4:51AM
Yellow?
b8am4xx @ Nov 28th 2009 8:41PM
I really liked Too Human, and me and my wife played it for over 120 hours combined, if not longer. The stick-based combat was fun, and easier for some gamers who don't like having to balance movement and camera angles at the same time while playing. The moves flowed very well and were logical and satisfying, the graphics and sound were done very well, and the game is pretty fun in co-op. It gets a lot of flack, and I really don't understand it. Either people are too bothered by not controlling the camera, having 15 second respawns (oh no!), or playing a hack and slash that is more than XXXXXXYYYXXXYYYXYXYXB all the time.
I payed $60, and have had more fun with it than tons of other games. Make a sequel, Dyack, and give the haters something to suck on.
Milton Crompton @ Nov 29th 2009 12:57AM
120 hours? Not to impugn on your tastes and all, but that's a heck of a lot of time!! Yet, I'm glad to see you put that many hours into a game, and with your significant other as well.
Too Human for me was pretty dismal, and as such I didn't give it another chance after a few more tries -- desperate tries in which I tried to love it, make love to it -- but alas, all to no avail... I loved Eternal Darkness so much that I went through a wash cycle of a denial phase with Too Human. Somewhat liked it, then hated it, and so forth....
Anyway, I've not put more than 120 hours into a game since the good old 16 bit times....
Bobs @ Nov 28th 2009 8:47PM
I go to waterloo!
Its always Microsoft and RIM doing the recruiting there.
BlaqueBeird @ Nov 29th 2009 4:52AM
At least RIM is Canadian.
Option84 @ Nov 28th 2009 11:27PM
WATER WATER WATER!!!
KidRichard @ Nov 29th 2009 1:41AM
LOO LOO LOO!
Thierry @ Nov 29th 2009 1:05AM
LOO LOO LOO!!! I graduated from Waterloo too, the CS program from the Math faculty was pretty tough 5+ years ago. It was so challenging that any real life work feels like a piece of cake.
freaparn @ Nov 29th 2009 1:24AM
Dyack is the guy all the forum trolls look to for inspiration. If he can make a career out of it, they can dream too!
Urza @ Nov 29th 2009 9:29AM
Why does Dyack still have a job?
MightyMule @ Nov 29th 2009 2:11PM
Microsoft grabs the 2nd tier candidates from Waterloo. Companies like Google or Amazon tend to get the better candidates since they pay about 20-30% more. All these companies will pay about 100% more than Dyack will. Most silicon valley or Seattle software developers net 100k. Intro game industry in Ontario is about 40k.
To the comment that OSAP is a loan. That is true. What also is true is that your school is subsidized by the government which is why your tuition is so low. This is also why Waterloo is a de-regulated university. They can apply to raise tuition to compensate for the rising costs in running their program. So some of it is from the tax payers in Ontario and some of it isn't.
Ontario attracts developers with tax breaks. The new Ubisoft studio was heavily compensated for opening that studio. 250 million about.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/not-everyones-happy-about-ubisoft-toronto/
Vancouver and Quebec have always been the traditional game development centers in Canada but Toronto could, and should, easily become one.
Blizzardjesus @ Nov 29th 2009 5:47PM
I live in buffalo, I would love to work at SK, but doubt they need a graphic designer.
Tigerballs @ Nov 30th 2009 9:46PM
I refuse to read this article because of that awful photo,he looks like such a smug douche bag...please try to find a new one please maybe one of too human so i can laugh about how terrible it was before i read the article that would be great