So, The Saboteur is still being made, right? Because I was really looking forward to that one. I hope that's one of the IPs being absorbed into EA Los Angeles.
As someone looking to find work, I feel sorry for everyone who just lost their jobs at Pandemic. Hopefully EA will be more conservative in the future as to avoid spreading themselves too thin during down years(or recessions).
As for their games, I have to be honest the only ones I really liked were Battlezone II and Star Wars: Battlefront. So that's like 5 years since I've bought one of their games. #pandemicstudios
I gotta laugh at the people getting pissed at EA for doing this. Buying smaller development studios and absorbing the talent and IPs is precisely how Sony built up their first party development house, which many people claim to be one of the best development collectives in the industry..
As sad as it is, it's either this or dry up and blow away. I don't like it any more than any of you, but it is what it is....Business. #pandemicstudios
@heretrix: Yeah, it's business; but Pandemic was a pretty big studio and EA already had plenty of talent on its pay roll when they bought them in 2007. In a way, its a more useless waste of talent than the earlier acquisitions and demolitions of studios by EA. #pandemicstudios
@Gortexfogg: Pandemic was a big studio without a hit for a looong time.
It's sink or swim and all of that talent isn't going to waste. They are keeping some people. They made it clear that they are absorbing the brand into EA. like I said it sucks, but it is what it is. #pandemicstudios
@Flymonkey102: True... but I was replying to the first post which kind of indicated it was a calculated move. It wasn't. There was no attempt to make Pandemic a profitable business under the Games Label. Very few of the talent remains (I'm not sure of the exact numbers yet - but those I know aren't there anymore). They can put a positive spin on this - but a good business move would have been to make the studio more profitiable, which was an eminantly achievable goal. #pandemicstudios
@Zoeherriot: "They can put a positive spin on this - but a good business move would have been to make the studio more profitiable, which was an eminantly achievable goal"
Unless you worked there, that's just wishful thinking. There is no way to predict that. #pandemicstudios
@heretrix: I DID work there. I was there before and after the EA takeover. :) Seriously, once EA buys you, that's it. It's like they all high five and go home. When problems emerge (as they will when merging studio cultures) there isn't much effort to actually improve the situation or find a solution. #pandemicstudios
So the new EA is exactly the same as the old EA, isn't it?
Back to the corporate dogma of acquiring and then killing some of the best pools of talent in the industry during the mid to late 1990's... and then subsequently destroying the gaming brands those studio's built up by internalizing sequel development and turning out poor-man's rehashes that pale in comparison to the originals.
Who, other than EA shareholders, is this supposed to be good for?
I was no lover of Pandemic games, other than the Full Spectrum Warrior Xbox games, but that doesn't mean they deserved to be shut down and their brand identity gutted from the people who made it what it was... #pandemicstudios
"Core IP Team" means what? Everybody but the artists, designers and programmers? What 'IP' are they even talking about? The name 'Pandemic?' Or just the names of the game franchises started by Pandemic? #pandemicstudios
@Sekai: Core IP as in the games they worked on like SW: Battlefront and Mercenaries.
Seems to happen a lot lately with these large game companies. They "buy" the recognized IP's and can just kick out the company that built them as they can just move the development to their own studio(s). They retain the minimum people who worked on the IP's that really shaped those games, and everyone else falls to the way side because lets face it, most of the human parts required to make a game can be replaced. #pandemicstudios
@MrBounce: I don't have a firm grasp on the industry, so may I ask one thing. This kind of thing always happens and unless your studio name is completely synonymous with your titles, like say Bungie or NaughtyDog, what are the advantages to having your studio be acquired?
Does the former president of the studio make out like a bandit for being acquired even though he knows they just inevitably want the rights to the IP? Does the whole team benefit from the promise that they may get an assured 2~6 years more payed work with corporate backing to produce possible titles, even though job security is no longer decided by the financial success of their own work.
@AngelsPlague: Pretty much. It's the people who own / run the company who benefit. But then, it's not just game companies, it's companies in general.
Back before the internet bubble burst, the owner of the company I worked for sold us to some foreign company who guaranteed that they wouldn't layoff anyone. The company that bought us even had a rep flown in, gathered everyone in the conference room and gave us some rah rah everything is going to be A-ok pep talk. Well, 1.5 months later half the work force was laid off, and another 1.5 months later they laid off everyone else and moved all the work we've been doing to their own development staff overseas.
The company that bought us really just wanted what we were working on, not the people. And the owners who sold got the money for the company and were happy. Who gets shafted? Everyone else who worked at the company, heh.
But... it's the way the world works. Gotta be at the top.
@Taggart6: I don't always drink beer, but when I do...: This is EA we're talking about.
They don't do that, they respect independent IPs and give them freedom to work
wait a second did I just say what I think I said oh my god oh my god #pandemicstudios
Taggart6: I don't always drink beer, but when I do... promoted this comment
Eran: Kojima-san Does Not Have To Make Metal Gear Anymore was starred
Eran: Kojima-san Does Not Have To Make Metal Gear Anymore was unstarred
@Hey_Blinkon: I wish people would remember that. It's not like people just one day woke up and decided. "I want to make money. Things that do not make me money = bad"
...If they don't preform well, that is. If a studio makes a successful game, they'll stick around. If they don't, they'll be 'restructured' to fit the companies goals of being a 'leaner', 'more cost-effective' company. Buzz words to offset a 52 week low stock price.
But if you step into the shoes of an EA exec, what else can you do? Its a publicly traded company thats hemorrhaging money due to a culture of waste and doing the least amount of work possible. At least they're taking steps to fix this. And in this case it means thousands of layoffs in less than a year.
At least theyre closing the right studios. Pandemic didn't have the greatest track record, their games were always a bit lackluster. Lackluster games don't make it in an industry where only the games in the top 20 category are making money.
Still, its hard to see any studio closed, in the end it means less for us to play, and continues to strain the workforce of a hurting industry.
Good luck, and my condolences to all who have been affected by these layoffs. #pandemicstudios
@TheOmnitron: This is exactly the way I see it. It is strange to see some people on here who condemn the closing of any studio - but really, if they aren't bringing in the money they pretty much have to go.
And besides, in the end, if their games don't make enough money it's because we as consumers didn't buy their games - so I guess the blame should be on us? #pandemicstudios
@ikon: I dont think we're to blame. Had they given us a Modern Warfare 2, they wouldnt be closing. But they didnt give us MW2, they gave us Mercs 2, and Lord of the Rings Conquest.
Both of those games could have been huge, the LotR brand is pretty much a certificate to print money, and Mercs 2 was coming from a surprising deep and successful Mercenaries game. They failed to make these games AAA, and the market responded with lower than expected sales.
When you have lower than expected sales, you'll have higher than expected lay-offs, its just the way the market is these days. Money talks, bullshit walks.
But its never the consumers fault. The costumer is always right, especially when it comes to what they find fun. Pandemic wasn't raising the bar, either through mismanagement or rushed timelines or whatever, the fact of the matter is they didnt offer the consumer the type of quality we've come to expect. And they got the axe for it. #pandemicstudios
11/19/09
11/18/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
EA "we fired everyone at pandemic but just wanted all their fans to know that we are going to keep using the pandemic name to sell you stuff."
thanks EA... #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
As for their games, I have to be honest the only ones I really liked were Battlezone II and Star Wars: Battlefront. So that's like 5 years since I've bought one of their games. #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
As sad as it is, it's either this or dry up and blow away. I don't like it any more than any of you, but it is what it is....Business. #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
It's sink or swim and all of that talent isn't going to waste. They are keeping some people. They made it clear that they are absorbing the brand into EA. like I said it sucks, but it is what it is. #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
Unless you worked there, that's just wishful thinking. There is no way to predict that. #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
11/17/09
Back to the corporate dogma of acquiring and then killing some of the best pools of talent in the industry during the mid to late 1990's... and then subsequently destroying the gaming brands those studio's built up by internalizing sequel development and turning out poor-man's rehashes that pale in comparison to the originals.
Who, other than EA shareholders, is this supposed to be good for?
I was no lover of Pandemic games, other than the Full Spectrum Warrior Xbox games, but that doesn't mean they deserved to be shut down and their brand identity gutted from the people who made it what it was... #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
Seems to happen a lot lately with these large game companies. They "buy" the recognized IP's and can just kick out the company that built them as they can just move the development to their own studio(s). They retain the minimum people who worked on the IP's that really shaped those games, and everyone else falls to the way side because lets face it, most of the human parts required to make a game can be replaced. #pandemicstudios
11/18/09
Does the former president of the studio make out like a bandit for being acquired even though he knows they just inevitably want the rights to the IP? Does the whole team benefit from the promise that they may get an assured 2~6 years more payed work with corporate backing to produce possible titles, even though job security is no longer decided by the financial success of their own work.
11/18/09
Back before the internet bubble burst, the owner of the company I worked for sold us to some foreign company who guaranteed that they wouldn't layoff anyone. The company that bought us even had a rep flown in, gathered everyone in the conference room and gave us some rah rah everything is going to be A-ok pep talk. Well, 1.5 months later half the work force was laid off, and another 1.5 months later they laid off everyone else and moved all the work we've been doing to their own development staff overseas.
The company that bought us really just wanted what we were working on, not the people. And the owners who sold got the money for the company and were happy. Who gets shafted? Everyone else who worked at the company, heh.
But... it's the way the world works. Gotta be at the top.
11/17/09
Starwars: War of The Waggle Battlefront Wii Edition. #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
They don't do that, they respect independent IPs and give them freedom to work
wait a second did I just say what I think I said oh my god oh my god #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
It's always been about the profit. Always. #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
...If they don't preform well, that is. If a studio makes a successful game, they'll stick around. If they don't, they'll be 'restructured' to fit the companies goals of being a 'leaner', 'more cost-effective' company. Buzz words to offset a 52 week low stock price.
But if you step into the shoes of an EA exec, what else can you do? Its a publicly traded company thats hemorrhaging money due to a culture of waste and doing the least amount of work possible. At least they're taking steps to fix this. And in this case it means thousands of layoffs in less than a year.
At least theyre closing the right studios. Pandemic didn't have the greatest track record, their games were always a bit lackluster. Lackluster games don't make it in an industry where only the games in the top 20 category are making money.
Still, its hard to see any studio closed, in the end it means less for us to play, and continues to strain the workforce of a hurting industry.
Good luck, and my condolences to all who have been affected by these layoffs. #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
And besides, in the end, if their games don't make enough money it's because we as consumers didn't buy their games - so I guess the blame should be on us? #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
At first I suspected hate, but you make reasonable points. #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
Both of those games could have been huge, the LotR brand is pretty much a certificate to print money, and Mercs 2 was coming from a surprising deep and successful Mercenaries game. They failed to make these games AAA, and the market responded with lower than expected sales.
When you have lower than expected sales, you'll have higher than expected lay-offs, its just the way the market is these days. Money talks, bullshit walks.
But its never the consumers fault. The costumer is always right, especially when it comes to what they find fun. Pandemic wasn't raising the bar, either through mismanagement or rushed timelines or whatever, the fact of the matter is they didnt offer the consumer the type of quality we've come to expect. And they got the axe for it. #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
Yeah, but Pandemic did the first two, and there was rumor they picked up 3 after free radical. #pandemicstudios
11/17/09
11/17/09
But yeah, Battlefront 3 is going for some sort of high score.