frankthedm
First Post
In this season of making holiday purchases, I think this thread can be a useful reminder of WOTCs practices.
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It's Almost the Season for WOTC layoff!
- Thread starter AnthonyRoberson
- Start date
As I said, in good economic times, you'd be correct. In the current climate, though, I don't think anyone's really secure in their ability to find new work should they get layed off. That so many, cream of the crop or no, should have to be at it for a year or more to find a new permanent position suggests quite the opposite.
Also, note that only a few people actually do game design - there's lot s of other WotC employees to consider. And, even for the designers - it isn't like companies seeking game design are a dime a dozen to begin with, much less ones looking to increase their staff.
Losing a job now would probably not be as bad as losing it in the past two years, but I don't think it'd be fun, or a cakewalk to a new position.
Olaf the Stout
Hero
Add me to the chorus of people that think this thread is incredibly tasteless. People's livelihoods should not be casually debated like this.
Olaf the Stout
Olaf the Stout
OchreJelly
First Post
I won’t focus on playing “vegas odds” on an individuals’ livelihood. I won’t beleaguer the point since many others have said what I feel about that.
However, in an effort to contribute to the thread in a less offensive manner I’ll approach it like this:
Is this sort of behavior actually unique to WoTC or game design in general? I hear all the time about video game developers just getting a game out the door and then firing off half the staff, or worse the studio gets shut down. It just seems to me this is more indicative of an industry that focuses on big long-term projects. Once those projects are done, be it a video game or a new rpg edition, some creative staff is often cut.
However, in an effort to contribute to the thread in a less offensive manner I’ll approach it like this:
Is this sort of behavior actually unique to WoTC or game design in general? I hear all the time about video game developers just getting a game out the door and then firing off half the staff, or worse the studio gets shut down. It just seems to me this is more indicative of an industry that focuses on big long-term projects. Once those projects are done, be it a video game or a new rpg edition, some creative staff is often cut.
I don't believe it is unique to any industry. I have seen it's like elsewhere.
If it were related to the life of projects, you would see the layoffs at random times of the year, as the projects finished. That it happens the same time in several years suggests it is a policy tied to the fiscal year, and the yearly budgeting process, rather than specific projects.
The December annual layoffs just happens to coincide with the end of Hasbro's fiscal year. Hasbro's fiscal year ends around the end of December. (For this fiscal year, it ends on December 27, 2010).
HAS Key Statistics | Hasbro, Inc. Common Stock Stock - Yahoo! Finance
TheYeti1775
Adventurer
Talking about the business policy basing it off past history - not tasteless.
Laying odds on specific employees - tasteless.
That pretty much sums it up.
Really though, it's speculation that has merit. Past history has shown us that WotC does this quite regularly in their business plan.
I live in a 'right to work' state. They could literally come up to my desk right now and tell me I'm done. That is it.
No hard feelings, I've been sitting at the same desk for 4+ years now.
I move on find another job.
The thing is I've prepared myself for the day it happens.
That is what any one working a job where they are not the boss of themself should be doing/or have done.
In an industry as violiatile as the RPG industry (especially in WotC's history) each of the employees should be prepared for it.
The OP makes good points about the product line focus and changes that have happened recently. It has direct bearing on the bottom line at WotC. If some accountant at WotC or Hasbro goes we can raise our stock value by fifty cents by laying off Bob the Game Designer whose line has ended, that is what they will do. Don't kid ourselves otherwise.
Remember our old arguement that Gamers in general don't make good Store Owners for a FLGS. The same holds true as putting Gamers in Charge of companies.
It's very rare that someone doesn't know it's coming around. I've goine through two such layoffs. Each time I knew ahead of time they were possible and prepared myself accordingly.
If you disagree with a company's practice or have a complaint about their product, tell them. If you give no feed back, how in the world do you expect a company to improve to your liking?
And I'm not talking firing off a angry email either.
Type or write up a real letter (nearly a lost art nowadays).
Many companies still pay attention to those. A person hand writing something out has shown a vested interest in it whereas we could all fire off a million emails in the same about of time.
Laying odds on specific employees - tasteless.
That pretty much sums it up.
Really though, it's speculation that has merit. Past history has shown us that WotC does this quite regularly in their business plan.
I live in a 'right to work' state. They could literally come up to my desk right now and tell me I'm done. That is it.
No hard feelings, I've been sitting at the same desk for 4+ years now.
I move on find another job.
The thing is I've prepared myself for the day it happens.
That is what any one working a job where they are not the boss of themself should be doing/or have done.
In an industry as violiatile as the RPG industry (especially in WotC's history) each of the employees should be prepared for it.
The OP makes good points about the product line focus and changes that have happened recently. It has direct bearing on the bottom line at WotC. If some accountant at WotC or Hasbro goes we can raise our stock value by fifty cents by laying off Bob the Game Designer whose line has ended, that is what they will do. Don't kid ourselves otherwise.
Remember our old arguement that Gamers in general don't make good Store Owners for a FLGS. The same holds true as putting Gamers in Charge of companies.
It's very rare that someone doesn't know it's coming around. I've goine through two such layoffs. Each time I knew ahead of time they were possible and prepared myself accordingly.
If you disagree with a company's practice or have a complaint about their product, tell them. If you give no feed back, how in the world do you expect a company to improve to your liking?
And I'm not talking firing off a angry email either.
Type or write up a real letter (nearly a lost art nowadays).
Many companies still pay attention to those. A person hand writing something out has shown a vested interest in it whereas we could all fire off a million emails in the same about of time.
I think responsible discussion of the trend is ok. I've been very critical of the WotC layoffs in the past, but I get that some careers are more competitive, less stable, or otherwise different than I might like, but if it's the career you want: you deal with it.
If you are a game writer/designer working on Dungeons & Dragons is a dream come true, but not the culmination of your career as it might be in others. In many cases I think it is a springboard. You work hard, you put your biggest ideas on the table, and you build up name recognition.
A lot of big names have been cut in the annual layoffs, and some of them have gone on to lend their celebrity status within the community to other projects, or they go on to produce their own dream products.
I hate the layoffs... but I hate them most for the people in the less visible roles.
If you are a game writer/designer working on Dungeons & Dragons is a dream come true, but not the culmination of your career as it might be in others. In many cases I think it is a springboard. You work hard, you put your biggest ideas on the table, and you build up name recognition.
A lot of big names have been cut in the annual layoffs, and some of them have gone on to lend their celebrity status within the community to other projects, or they go on to produce their own dream products.
I hate the layoffs... but I hate them most for the people in the less visible roles.
Given that the layoffs have happened regularly in the past, regardless of the many year-to-year variables (good vs. bad economy, late vs. early lifecycle of an edition, heavy vs. light release schedule, etc.), I don't know that these developments alter the picture much. The layoffs aren't a special case that happens only when D&D is "in trouble", they happen every year like clockwork (and they always suck).
