Joystiq

Around 40 employees laid off at Gas Powered Games [Update: Chris Taylor explains timing]

Jordan Mallory — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:45:00 EST

Gas Powered Games, the development studio responsible for the Dungeon Siege series and one that has recently launched an ambitious Kickstarter campaign, is undergoing a round of layoffs, Kotaku reports.

While anonymous sources claim that virtually the entire company has been let go, save for CEO Chris Taylor and a small handful of others, the only official word is that layoffs are indeed underway, and that more information will be posted to the Wildman Kickstarter soon. We've reached out to Gas Powered Games to learn more about the severity of the situation, as well as what these layoffs may mean for the studio's future projects.

Update: Gas Powered Games boss Chris Taylor tells Joystiq about 40 employees have been affected by layoffs. Taylor says it was a "Very tough decision, but an important one such that I could properly pay severance and remaining [paid-time off]."

Taylor wouldn't go into specifics about his studio's future, but he further clarified that those affected understood the timing of the decision, despite how sudden it may have appeared in the press.

"I think everyone agrees better to have a few bucks to find the next job that run this train to the end and have nothing left to work with. It's one thing for me to bet the company, but I can't bet their last severance money, that's not cool," he said. In a recent interview with Gamasutra, Taylor said he was betting his company on the success of the studios' first Kickstarter project, Wildman.

Around 40 employees laid off at Gas Powered Games [Update: Chris Taylor explains timing] originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Activision to reduce headcount by around 500

Justin McElroy — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 18:15:00 EST

While we like to imagine that all the folks working on the projects Activision canceled today will just be moved to working on even cooler games while sitting in even more comfortable chairs, the company seems set on thwarting our inner Pollyanna. During an investor's call today, the company said it will release seven percent of its workforce, tantamount to around 500 people.

There is sort of a silver lining looking at the company as a whole though according to COO and CFO Thomas Tippl, who said the company's size would level out by year's end. "We are making significant investment elsewhere," he said. "Our net head count at the end of the year is probably not going to be materially different given that we're ramping up development teams around Blizzard's new MMO and around the Call of Duty initiatives."

That is, of course, cold comfort to those being let go, so here's hoping they find gainful employment soon.

Activision to reduce headcount by around 500 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Activision closing Bizarre Creations [Update: Activision confirms, options include 'potential sale']

Justin McElroy — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:20:00 EST

Well, this blows.

Beginning with a NeoGAF thread and followed up by Giant Bomb and VG247, comes rumor that Activision is closing Bizarre Creations, the studio behind the just-released Bond title Bloodstone. It was responsible for Blur, The Club, the Project Gotham Racing series, and downloadable favorite Geometry Wars. The studio, founded in 1994, was acquired by Activision just over three years ago.

Giant Bomb's source says that Bizzarre Creations will undergo a "90-day consultation period, statutory redundancy." That sounds ... bad. According to the VG247 report, the cuts would mean a loss of over 200 staffers. We'll let you know as soon as we hear anything official. Stay tuned.

[Update: Getting some context for the above quote: Apparently Bizarre isn't closed yet; the 90-day period is required in the UK (where Bizarre is located) before shuttering a business. That 90-day period also serves as a 90-day notice to employees that their company is likely to be closed/sold/downsized/etc. - an official statement should be along shortly.]

[Update 2 2:01pm: Activision's statement: "Over the past three years since our purchase of Bizarre Creations, the fundamentals of the racing genre have changed significantly. Although we made a substantial investment in creating a new IP, Blur, it did not find a commercial audience. Bizarre is a very talented team of developers, however, because of the broader economic factors impacting the market, we are exploring our options regarding the future of the studio, including a potential sale of the business."]

[Update 3 5:55pm: Activision additionally confirmed the closure of Budcat Creations, as well as redundancies in its California-based quality assurance team.]

Activision closing Bizarre Creations [Update: Activision confirms, options include 'potential sale'] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Raven Software confirms layoffs, new size 'reflects' upcoming work load

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:01:00 EST

It seems the unfortunate rumors we've been hearing to this effect for some time are true -- Raven Software has confirmed that a round of layoffs recently hit the developer (reports range from 30 to 56 folks cut from the studio's 180-man staff). Raven and Activision issued a statement explaining that after releasing X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Wolfenstein so close together, the Raven is "slightly reducing its workforce to better reflect the studio's upcoming slate," which only includes the development of Singularity.

Of course, other reports include unconfirmed, cause-and-effect-esque reasons for the layoffs. Kotaku reports that sources have attributed the firings to the over-budget (and underselling) Wolfenstein, as well as the holiday-to-Q1 delay of Singularity. Regardless of the reason for the downsizing, we hope the affected parties can get back on their feet with a quickness.

Raven Software confirms layoffs, new size 'reflects' upcoming work load originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atomic Games unable to secure funding for Six Days in Fallujah, reduces staff

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:27:00 EST

(click to embiggen)

Citing a lack of "full-scale funding" for controversial game Six Days in Fallujah, Atomic Games is reporting today that it's trimming staff. According to Atomic, the 75 employees of the studio remained until this week when an undisclosed amount were let go.

Though the developer assures the "dozens of Marine veterans" who have spent "hundreds of hours in this project" that it will "fight on," we worry that this is just one more sign of a likely to-be-canceled game. After Konami dropped out as the game's publisher back in April, Six Days in Fallujah's fate has been up in the air. It probably doesn't help that rumors circulated yesterday about the studio's creative lead hitting the road for (presumably) greener pastures. We've reached out to Atomic for further information about those let who were let go and will update this post as we hear more.

Gallery: Six Days in Fallujah

Atomic Games unable to secure funding for Six Days in Fallujah, reduces staff originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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