Does anyone think that the slimming down of these ‘software factories’ might actually improve the quality of the software delivered? It sucks for the people losing their jobs but these massive design studios haven’t produced much for quality the past few years, and have completely failed to produce games that are more ‘fun’ than back when games didn’t have 100 man teams.
That doesn’t mean that companies that make them are operating under the same set of rules that they were a year ago. It’s not just consumers who are getting squeezed on new credit or who have an incentive to hold onto cash.
Mist :Does anyone think that the slimming down of these ’software factories’ might actually improve the quality of the software delivered? It sucks for the people losing their jobs but these massive design studios haven’t produced much for quality the past few years, and have completely failed to produce games that are more ‘fun’ than back when games didn’t have 100 man teams.
Or is that just nostalgia speaking?
Last couple of years have produced stellar games – Bioshock, Mass Effect, Portal, Left4Dead, GTA4. Or were you talking MMO’s only.
I applied for both THQ and EA just a few months ago. The company I work for now, a biomedical company still in clinical phase and using grant/investor money, only laid off two people. I guess I got lucky.
Mist :Does anyone think that the slimming down of these ’software factories’ might actually improve the quality of the software delivered? It sucks for the people losing their jobs but these massive design studios haven’t produced much for quality the past few years, and have completely failed to produce games that are more ‘fun’ than back when games didn’t have 100 man teams.
Or is that just nostalgia speaking?
Last couple of years have produced stellar games – Bioshock, Mass Effect, Portal, Left4Dead, GTA4. Or were you talking MMO’s only.
A tiny handful of great games in a multibillion dollar industry. Portal and L4D were done by relatively small teams, no clue about Bioshock but I can’t imagine they had hundreds of people working on it. GTA4′s stellarness is highly debatable.
Games like Portal and L4D started with a rock solid game design and went from there. I think these teams need to make sure their game works in a 2D / simplified 3D space before throwing HD content at it.
A tiny handful of great games in a multibillion dollar industry. Portal and L4D were done by relatively small teams, no clue about Bioshock but I can’t imagine they had hundreds of people working on it. GTA4’s stellarness is highly debatable.
You can make that argument going all the way back to the Atari 2600, maybe even before that. That’s as far back as I can remember. Granted, a big team at the time was one with a programmer *and* an artist, but that didn’t help the quality. There was a ton of crap then, and there is a ton of crap now. Movies and television are the same. The only difference the slimming of the big companies will make, is that they crap they produce will be developed at a more reasonable price. This means nothing to the consumer.
about 1 year ago
Doesn’t trump the total slash of 1100 by EA though
about 1 year ago
Percentage-wise it does. That’s 24% of THQ’s staff.
about 1 year ago
oh win by % or per capita… that’s how Iceland used to be the greatest at everything
about 1 year ago
Iceland: Most Bjork per capita.
about 1 year ago
Does anyone think that the slimming down of these ‘software factories’ might actually improve the quality of the software delivered? It sucks for the people losing their jobs but these massive design studios haven’t produced much for quality the past few years, and have completely failed to produce games that are more ‘fun’ than back when games didn’t have 100 man teams.
Or is that just nostalgia speaking?
about 1 year ago
No. As soon as there is money, they’ll restaff at the same skillset they were already succeeding in the market with and carry on with life.
about 1 year ago
So… is there anyone else who still thinks video games are recession proof?
about 1 year ago
Game sales themselves have been recession proof.
That doesn’t mean that companies that make them are operating under the same set of rules that they were a year ago. It’s not just consumers who are getting squeezed on new credit or who have an incentive to hold onto cash.
about 1 year ago
Last couple of years have produced stellar games – Bioshock, Mass Effect, Portal, Left4Dead, GTA4. Or were you talking MMO’s only.
about 1 year ago
I applied for both THQ and EA just a few months ago. The company I work for now, a biomedical company still in clinical phase and using grant/investor money, only laid off two people. I guess I got lucky.
about 1 year ago
@Guido Jones
A tiny handful of great games in a multibillion dollar industry. Portal and L4D were done by relatively small teams, no clue about Bioshock but I can’t imagine they had hundreds of people working on it. GTA4′s stellarness is highly debatable.
about 1 year ago
Games like Portal and L4D started with a rock solid game design and went from there. I think these teams need to make sure their game works in a 2D / simplified 3D space before throwing HD content at it.
about 1 year ago
You can make that argument going all the way back to the Atari 2600, maybe even before that. That’s as far back as I can remember. Granted, a big team at the time was one with a programmer *and* an artist, but that didn’t help the quality. There was a ton of crap then, and there is a ton of crap now. Movies and television are the same. The only difference the slimming of the big companies will make, is that they crap they produce will be developed at a more reasonable price. This means nothing to the consumer.
about 1 year ago
@Nerd Rage
Agreed!
Also, while the games got more complex, the tools to make them got more powerful and affordable too.
about 1 year ago
The THQ 600 # is 600 total, not 600 in addition to the 300 they laid off before XMas.