Console Club

[eagle-eye]

Mama ba, nu se mai termina, e surreal tot ce se intampla.

[sexbobomb91]

Embracer astia ar trebui desfiintati pentru cate studio-uri si proiecte au distrus in ultimele luni.

[eagle-eye]

Asa e cand angajezi multi oameni si dai drumul la proiecte pe niste bani promisi dar pe care inca nu ii ai. Arabii aia cu care au facut deal-ul si-au luat jucariile si au plecat acasa iar Embracer a ramas cu ochii-n soare si 2 miliarde de dolari care n-au mai intrat in buzunar.

[biagyydog]

Managerul de proiect nu trebuia sa se asigure ca banii sunt asigurati per etape?
Adica daca faci un design, cateva user stories si ajungi chiar in SIT, inseamna ca ai avut banii, nu?
Iar daca aia au plecat cu banii inseamna ca acel contract avea hive mari, fara clauze samd
Sau ceva a mers teribil de prost de au plecat asa.

Oricum ar fi nu este placut sa auzi cand o multime de oameni sunt dati afara din gaming ori IT.
De mai bine de un an a tot inceput aceasta tendinta, afectand numeroase tari/ companii/ echipe.
Ma intreb care sunt motivele reale din spatele acestor concedieri in masa sau WFR ori cum le-or mai zice acum.

[paul]

O parte din fosti angajati Volition au deschis un studio suport, Shapeshifter Games:

The studio, revealed on Linkedin, is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois, and is intended to be a co-development studio.

This means that the plan is to partner with other developers and publishers to support them in the creation of their AAA games.

Volition Veterans Form New Studio Shapeshifter Games, Working on Xbox Game Studios Project | TechRaptor

[eagle-eye]

Managerul de proiect nu trebuia sa se asigure ca banii sunt asigurati per etape?
Adica daca faci un design, cateva user stories si ajungi chiar in SIT, inseamna ca ai avut banii, nu?
Iar daca aia au plecat cu banii inseamna ca acel contract avea hive mari, fara clauze samd
Sau ceva a mers teribil de prost de au plecat asa.

Oricum ar fi nu este placut sa auzi cand o multime de oameni sunt dati afara din gaming ori IT.
De mai bine de un an a tot inceput aceasta tendinta, afectand numeroase tari/ companii/ echipe.
Ma intreb care sunt motivele reale din spatele acestor concedieri in masa sau WFR ori cum le-or mai zice acum.

Asta e de mai sus de project manager, ala saracu' doar lucreaza cu ce i se da. Vine de la exec producers sau chiar bratul de publishing si finance al studioului. Deci nu tine de proiect in sine si developerii de acolo ci de conducerea studioului, CEO, CFO, etc.

[paul]

Pentru $500 milioane, Saber Interactive pleaca din Embracer Group:

Swedish gaming company Embracer Group AB will sell one of its largest subsidiaries, Saber Interactive, to a group of private investors in a deal worth up to $500 million, according to a person familiar with the transaction.

Saber will become a privately owned company with around 3,500 employees, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing nonpublic information. The company plans to continue developing a remake of Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic, the highly anticipated game that was removed from its previous developer Aspyr Media in 2022.

Embracer Group to Sell Saber Subsidiary in $500 Million Deal - Bloomberg

[paul]

Toys for Bob (Spyro, Skylanders) pleaca din Activision, dar vor sa continue sa colaboreze cu Microsoft:

We’re thrilled to announce that Toys for Bob is spinning off as an independent game development studio! [...]

To make this news even more exciting, we’re exploring a possible partnership between our new studio and Microsoft. And while we’re in the early days of developing our next new game and a ways away from making any announcements, our team is excited to develop new stories, new characters, and new gameplay experiences.

Our friends at Activision and Microsoft have been extremely supportive of our new direction and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future. [...]

We're Going Indie!

[sexbobomb91]

Warner Bros. to Move Away From AAA Games, Now Focused on Live Service - Insider Gaming

“We’re doubling down on games as an area where we think there is a lot more growth opportunity that we can tap into with the IP that we have and some of the capabilities we have on the studio where we’re uniquely positioned as both a publisher and a developer of games. Rather than just launching a one-and-done console game, how do we develop a game around, for example, a Hogwarts Legacy or Harry Potter, that is a live service where people can live and work and build and play in that world in an ongoing basis?”

Incredibil, dupa succesul Hogwarts Legacy si esecul Suicide Squad astia chiar nu au invatat nimic .

[tudort]

Probabil cifrele spun altceva. Gamingul e deja o industrie uriașă. Din păcate pentru noi, deciziile de nivel înalt nu iau în considerare neapărat calitatea, cât profitul ce se poate genera.

Trimis de pe al meu XQ-DQ54 folosind Tapatalk

[razvanrazy]

Ei spun ca e "volatila" piata. Ori ai un mega hit, ori esti pe pierdere daca nu.
Normal ca toti ar vrea numai mega sales hits, dar realitatea e ca doar ocazional se intampla aia.
Ei, culmea, au avut un top seller si un esec cu suicide squad - dar daca nu erau asa aroganti probabil ca nu iesea atat de rau.

Faza e ca zic ca nu abandoneaza single player AAA games, doar ca probabil vor face mai putine.

Adica nu as zice ca nu vom avea Hogwarts Legasy 2 tot ca SP game (sper sa fie cazul), doar ca probabil in loc de 3-5 jocuri SP only pe care le-or fi avut in development, probabil vor mai scoate 1-2 asa si restul sa fie f2p ca sa le aduca bani constant.

Dar da, totul se rezuma la bani...

[sexbobomb91]

Asa cum zice Jim Sterling, companiile astora nu le ajunge multi bani, ci vor toti banii de pe piata.
Pentru ei degeaba Hogwarts Legacy a fost cel mai bine vandut joc din 2023 daca nu a facut mai multi bani ca Fortnite.
Dar ce nu pot sa inteleaga este ca nu poti forta un succes ca Fortnite, oricat de mult ai investi sau ce franciza ai folosi.
Si cand scad profiturile companiei persoanele care iau deciziile astea primesc bonusuri, in timp ce angajatii care fac jocurile sunt concediati ...

[razvanrazy]

Agree, dar nu cred ca are legatura cu HL, cat cu Suicide Squad.

Faza e ca daca aveau ochi si urechi, in ultimii 1-2 ani a explodat internetul de cand cu leaks despre joc si nu convenea nimanui directia spre care se indrepta, dar efectiv nu le-a pasat si au ramas cu decizia lor, chiar daca era efectiv impotriva oamenilor care trebuia sa le cumpere produsul.

[lucicleric]

Nici la Sony nu arata mai bine situatia, mai ales dupa noua conducere....e foarte posibil sa scada calitatea jocurilor first party sau sa vedem mai multe jocuri gen Helldivers 2, care e fun, do not get me wrong, dar nu e SP si nici mega polished nu e.

[eagle-eye]

Bai, problema nu e live service in sine ci jocurile proaste. Suicide Squad nu a failat ca era live service ci ca era mediocru.
Mie daca imi face WB un joc gen Animal Crossing sau Maple Story, live service, in universul Harry Potter, le cumpar toate premium legendary battle pass season pass epic key unlock diamond currency VIP package bundle-urile pe care mi le dau

Dar daca jocul nu are viziune, nu vine cu nimic nou sau fun, iar core loop-urile sunt nascute toate din "cum facem playerii sa joace cat mai mult?", la revedere. Tre' sa-l faci pe player fan, nu client.

[razvanrazy]

Tre' sa-l faci pe player fan, nu client.

Fix asta este. Si se vede din ce si cum zic, prin aroganta aia, ca doar asta-i intereseaza si ca nu tin cont deloc de parerea "clientilor".

[eagle-eye]

Culmea, vorba asta am luat-o de la un producer care nu si-a ascultat propriul sfat

[paul]

Stig Asmussen, directorul Star Wars Jedi, si alti developeri de la Respawn, au deschis un studio, Giant Skull:

Experienced veterans from EA's Respawn studio have formed a new AAA team called Giant Skull.

The developer is led by Stig Asmussen, who is best known as the game director for 2019's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and 2023's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Giant Skull has an office in LA, although employs people from around the world.

The leadership team also includes Star Wars: Jedi Survivor alumni Jon Carr (CTO) and Jeff Magers (design director), Fortnite veterans Patrick Murphy (art director), Lauren McLemore (lead producer) and Brian Campbell (animation director). Meanwhile, Unbroken Studio's Anthony Scott takes the roles of COO and CFO.

Respawn veteran Stig Asmussen forms Giant Skull to build AAA single player games | GamesIndustry.biz

[eagle-eye]

Cred ca pentru fiecare studio deschis recent de ex-big shot developers am vazut cate un studio de acelasi fel inchis fara sa lanseze

[paul]

Pentru $460 milioane Embracer vinde Gearbox catre Take-Two:

The divested assets include:
- Gearbox Software (Frisco, Texas)
- Gearbox Montréal
- Gearbox Studio Quebec
- Borderlands and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands franchises, as well as Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms and Duke Nukem

The retained assets include:
- Gearbox Publishing San Francisco (to be renamed prior to closing, formerly named Perfect World Entertainment), including the publishing rights to the Remnant franchise, the upcoming Hyper Light Breaker and other notable unannounced game releases
- Cryptic Studios, including MMO titles Neverwinter Online and Star Trek Online.
- Lost Boys Interactive
- Captured Dimensions
The retained companies will be welcomed and integrated into other parts of Embracer Group in the coming period. All companies are expected to contribute with a positive cash flow going forward.

Embracer Group divests Gearbox Entertainment for a consideration of USD 460 million to Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. - Embracer Group

Take-Two confirma ca lucreaza la urmatoarele Borderlands si Homeworld, plus "and at least one exciting new intellectual property".