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Does anyone remember the rough timeline for how the 3.0 layoffs went? 3E was released in August 2000. Didn't the first big wave come in like Oct/Nov of that same year? And then there was another smaller round the next spring I think. Boy I'm having trouble remembering...
Same pattern with 3.0 and 3.5, so this was expected to happen, although I'm surprised we haven't seen even more in RPG R&D...I suppose the full list hasn't been determined yet, though.
For you guys who are more in the know, how many people over there at WOTC who work for D&D or DDI are left? I know for those involved this totally sucks, but as for the company, is this a drop in the bucket? Or a good percentage of the D&D/DDI crew? Are we cleaning house here, or just cleaning the closet?
__________________ ~Joe
If you like what I said, throw me some XP. I was a goblin sharpshooter for far too long.
I hope that the game designers will get snapped up by various companies. Those are good minds right there.
Who's out there to snap them up? Most RPG companies are so small that they're essentially run out of people's basements with contracted designers to keep the material flowing. White Wolf is the only other one that is large in the same sense as WotC. Some other companies with relatively small full time staffs are Paizo, FFG, Steve Jackson Games, and Mongoose. I seriously doubt anyone on that list is in need of full time employees right now.
__________________ Darrin Drader
Freelance Writer/Game Designer
Previously posting as Whisperfoot
This is a joke, right? That list can't be serious! Randy Buehler? Stacy Longstreet? DAVE FREAKIN' NOONAN? I think I recall reading things written by almost every one of those names during the 4E spoiler-scramble this time a year ago.
...Sad day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carmachu
Isnt this the second set of layoffs since 4e was released?
Yeah, but don't forget that 4E had the misfortune to be launched on the cusp of the worst economic downturn in America since, what, 1990? It sucks, but I'll blame the economic conditions before the products.
Hopefully, since these layoffs are well-known to be cyclical, they already have plans for where to go next.
Game designers and the online gaming people could probably try to step out of the RPG business and work for companies like Disney...anyone that has marketing tie-ins with their products, online games based around popular series, etc.
Wish I could buy 'em all a beer. Drinks are on me if you can get here, guys and gals!
This also makes some sense from the perspective that at this point in the launch cycle for 4E, the direct-employment component of the dev staff is likely to need some trimming. I would be amazed if they hadn't made some cuts at this level, considering the economic environment and the likely needs of their release schedule going forward. It is as much likely to indicate a shift to more work-for-hire and less internal product dev as anything else.
I expect the Digital cuts may be more meaningful, though. That's clearly limping its way toward viability, but it's also clear that there's been some significant changes in vision and scope for the digital initiative in the last year. They'll want to retool to reflect those changes.
__________________ Old School, New School... School's out, kids.
This also makes some sense from the perspective that at this point in the launch cycle for 4E, the direct-employment component of the dev staff is likely to need some trimming. I would be amazed if they hadn't made some cuts at this level, considering the economic environment and the likely needs of their release schedule going forward. It is as much likely to indicate a shift to more work-for-hire and less internal product dev as anything else.
I expect the Digital cuts may be more meaningful, though. That's clearly limping its way toward viability, but it's also clear that there's been some significant changes in vision and scope for the digital initiative in the last year. They'll want to retool to reflect those changes.
I was going to post something very similar to this, but you did it better.
Sadly, bad economy + game that's effectively out of development = shift to freelancers and away from staff.
Still, it's very, very sad. Lots of really good names there, and I have no idea what it means for the DDI.
Bad new for the season. Best of luck to everyone looking for a job.
__________________ Apparently Reagan never played RPGs ...but he liked to watch.
Spoiler:
Participants in the Pentagon simulations were sometimes of very high rank, including members of Congress and White House insiders as well as senior military officers. The identity of many of the participants remains secret even today. It is a tradition in US simulations (and those run by many other nations) that participants are guaranteed anonymity. The main reason for this is that occasionally they may take on a role or express an opinion that is at odds with their professional or public stance (for example portraying a fundamentalist terrorist or advocating hawkish military action), and thus could harm their reputation or career if their in-game persona became widely known.
(cut)
...former US president Ronald Reagan was a keen visitor to simulations conducted in the 1980s, but as an observer only. An official explained: "No president should ever disclose his hand, not even in a war game". Para,6
Buehler took personal responsibility for the failures of D&D Insider and Gleemax back in August. Online play was, and is, one the principle bases for 4E, so it doesn't surprise me that they had to let him go.
The fact that WotC still haven't launched their online components is devastating. I'm sure they had to throw out their whole 2008 business strategy. 4E was rushed to release because they had to hit certain benchmarks. Had they known the online component would not be ready 8 months later, I think they probably would have held off.
Not to worry though, IT is still a fertile employment market, especially for people with executive experience. He'll probably get snatched up by a video game developer.
Layoffs are rough and it sucks for everyone involved. Based on this list, it looks like some of these were the result of the DDI delay and some were general cutbacks. Hopefully, things work out for everyone.
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