Support NeoGAF

[Wario64]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/06/08/news_6100143.html

On Friday, the publisher revealed how big the actual cuts would be in a 10-K form it filed with the SEC. Under the heading "Fiscal 2004 Studio Restructuring," the publisher talked about its "exit plans" following the closure of its Origin studio in Austin, Texas, and the relocation of the majority of its staffers from the Walnut Creek, California-based The Sims 2-maker Maxis. "The exit plans resulted in a workforce reduction of approximately 117 personnel in development and administrative departments," read the report, "the majority of whom are expected to be terminated in the first quarter of fiscal [year] 2005."

 

[MrPing1000]

Goodbye Origin (ok u died 6 years ago but this is the final nail)


*also pays his respects to westwood Maxis and Bullfrog whilst he's at it*

 

[GhaleonEB]

Someone over there has a sick sense of humor.

 

[dskillzhtown]

Goodbye Origin (ok u died 6 years ago but this is the final nail)


*also pays his respects to westwood Maxis and Bullfrog whilst he's at it*

About Maxis, Will Wright has said that he is grateful for EA buying them because now he can be more focused in the game-making department instead of all the administrative crap EA takes care of.

 

[GigaDrive]

one day, EA will pay for what they've done to Origin

EA....those fuckers...

 

[acklame]

About Maxis, Will Wright has said that he is grateful for EA buying them because now he can be more focused in the game-making department instead of all the administrative crap EA takes care of.

Yea, and the best way to reward Maxis for producing the best selling PC game of all time and 7 extremely successful, cheaply produced, million selling expansion packs, and hits such as SimCity 4 and console Sims games, is to laid them off. Damn, EA is excellent at this administrative crap.

 

[Mashing]

Corporations suck... they don't give a crap what you've done in the past... if it serves their balance sheet to can you... you're ass is going to be fired

 

[sc0la]

Video games, meet outsourcing.

Its here now.

though it may not directly relate to these lay offs

 

[neptunes]

man I feel sorry for people who are working for ea.

I'm sure most of them are young guys fresh out of college. (or probably not)

I hope they can find work somewhere else, come up here to canada UBIsoft(montreal).

But wouldn't next-gen games (xb2. ps3, gc2) require more people to develop?

 

[COCKLES]

They should have reassigned those 117 to work on the AI for the next Medal of Honor game.

 

[Rhindle]

That's a really high number of people. I would have though that most of the Maxis people could have just been relocated to Redwood Shores, and I can't imagine there where too many people left at Origin?

 

[aerofx]

Yup this happend quite a few months ago, why are they reporting it so late? My friend was working at the Walnut creek location as a coder.

 

[Divine Puncher]

Get used to it, the gaming industry has been invaded by the corporate suits. Up until now it was all fun and games, but from now on it's all about the bottom line, and the bottom line is that there are cheaper programmers/artists to be found then the ones on staff.
Thie video game industry is quickly becoming akin to Hollywood. E3 is now full of slick haired, pompous executives and slick takling marketers.....

 

[Mengy]

So, is now a good time to buy EA stock?

 

[Upper_Management]

It's probaly a bunch of interns that are working on the LOTR franchise, and some useless producers.

 

[rastex]

man I feel sorry for people who are working for ea.

That's why they're one of the top 100 companies to work for in the US? Bah, EA treats its employees DAMN DAMN well. Say what you want about the games, but you know nothing about how well the employees have it.

 

[Culex]

I still will never forgive EA for swallowing up Westwood Studios.

 

[Nintendo Ate My Children]

Get used to it, the gaming industry has been invaded by the corporate suits. Up until now it was all fun and games, but from now on it's all about the bottom line, and the bottom line is that there are cheaper programmers/artists to be found then the ones on staff.
Thie video game industry is quickly becoming akin to Hollywood. E3 is now full of slick haired, pompous executives and slick takling marketers.....

Welcome to 25 years ago. You think video games became a multibillion dollar industry by not looking at the bottom line?

 

[Divine Puncher]

Welcome to 25 years ago. You think video games became a multibillion dollar industry by not looking at the bottom line?

Um, 25 years ago videogames we being developed by one man teams, in their mom's basement.

 

[WasabiKing]

They're consolidating teams and getting rid of huge fixed costs, like buildings. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[ChrisReid]

That's a really high number of people. I would have though that most of the Maxis people could have just been relocated to Redwood Shores, and I can't imagine there where too many people left at Origin?

There were quote a few UO people.. plus UXO Odyssey.. plus administrative people. You're right though, lots of Wing Commander and other personnel got axed years back.

 

[nathkenn]

you'd be amazed how well they treat us

 

[gofreak]

I read a survey recently that stated that the majority of people working in the games industry left after a certain number of years - I think it was 10 or so. THey went in with gushing enthusiasm, but the common practise in the industry (things like massively long work hours, crunch time etc.) seem to wear people down, and they exit into other industries thereafter. Apparently publishers are ok with this, because they can just keep hiring fresh blood, and that's cheaper than paying experienced people anyway. That's kind of sad. IMO we need people to become established in the industry - I don't think it's good to just have relatively new people all the time. Sure, it's good to have fresh blood flowing in, but you need people there who've made it their life's work also. IMO.

 

[ATJaguarX]

EA SUX. I'll stick with SEGA for my sports needs.

 

[OG_Original Gamer]

Damn ATJaguarX, that avatar is fire. Thats the best avatar I've seen in the gaming forum.

 

[ATJaguarX]

Yeah... I had to take it off because I guess I was violating the "TOS"


I dont understand why.

 

[Grifter]

Goodbye Origin (ok u died 6 years ago but this is the final nail)


*also pays his respects to westwood Maxis and Bullfrog whilst he's at it*

...those were the big devs when I was getting into PCs...