AEG downsizing
- Thread starter Gundark
- Start date
FCWesel
First Post
Phill, just curious what can the RPG industry do to help itself, do you think?
I mean, more folks buying everything they see in RPG form would help, sure, but people do have some money and folks are basically willing to spend it ...so what's there to do?
As for AEG, hey I hope folks can get new work and all but I think a big sign of this coming along was the company putting out POGS.
I mean, more folks buying everything they see in RPG form would help, sure, but people do have some money and folks are basically willing to spend it ...so what's there to do?
As for AEG, hey I hope folks can get new work and all but I think a big sign of this coming along was the company putting out POGS.
Ranger REG
Explorer
Meh.Gundark said:
WotC have undergone a series of layoffs that started with the company restructuring back in Winter 2000-2001. Decipher's RPG Studio have only two dedicated employees. Steve Jackson Games have reduced its staff. Guardians of Order was briefly reduced to just one employee.
It can't be helped. 2004 was a very bad year for the RPG industries.
Griffonsec
First Post
This sucks for the folks at AEG. As we say in Texas, "They's good folks."
This also sucks for the fans. I love Spycraft 2.0, but its learning curve is so steep that it's almost unplayable to new players without the info on their forums. Not to meantion the errata and conversion info is there too.
I appricate them letting us know what's going on, but a little notice before they closed the forums so we could copy the community projects and stuff we were working on at very least.
This also sucks for the fans. I love Spycraft 2.0, but its learning curve is so steep that it's almost unplayable to new players without the info on their forums. Not to meantion the errata and conversion info is there too.
I appricate them letting us know what's going on, but a little notice before they closed the forums so we could copy the community projects and stuff we were working on at very least.
Dragonblade
Adventurer
Griffonsec said:
I didn't find it so steep. Try HERO if you want steep.
Dragonblade said:I didn't find it so steep. Try HERO if you want steep.
After UNIX everything else is but a bump in the road. (From what I've heard.
)
Paradigm
First Post
Those of us that work in the industry know of numerous companies that have laid off and/or fired employees on multiple occasions during the last 3 years. Unlike the employees of these other companies, AEG's staff has always been close to the fans, any non-announcement would become a huge bitch-fest on their forums.
trancejeremy
Adventurer
It's also a shame that AEG never put out a spycraft license like d20 or a coherent section 15 of the OGL for Spycraft 2.0, so their ex-employees involved in Spycraft could earn some money via the freelance/pdf route...
(That seems to have worked well, or at least okay for many ex-WOTC people. Well some.)
(That seems to have worked well, or at least okay for many ex-WOTC people. Well some.)
TheGM
First Post
It is very sad, but looking around, it is not really a surprise.
The entire paper publishing industry is in a state of change, becoming a niche market. Slowly but surely, you can see it happening. Electronic media of all forms is changing publishing, radio, music, and eventually video.
D20 significantly increased the number of publishers competing for dollars at a time when the market was struggling against computer games, trying to see how this new platform fit into the overall picture.
One little downturn in the market can have profound effects on a market this small with this many competitors in it.
The short answer becomes "you can live your dream in the RPG world, but the pay won't be so hot and the risks are manifold."
Thus, I keep my job in a much larger paper publishing market, and just freelance in the RPG world. Of course, I'm happy in my day job, which makes me lucky
.
The entire paper publishing industry is in a state of change, becoming a niche market. Slowly but surely, you can see it happening. Electronic media of all forms is changing publishing, radio, music, and eventually video.
D20 significantly increased the number of publishers competing for dollars at a time when the market was struggling against computer games, trying to see how this new platform fit into the overall picture.
One little downturn in the market can have profound effects on a market this small with this many competitors in it.
The short answer becomes "you can live your dream in the RPG world, but the pay won't be so hot and the risks are manifold."
Thus, I keep my job in a much larger paper publishing market, and just freelance in the RPG world. Of course, I'm happy in my day job, which makes me lucky
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