XMNR: The controversy surrounding 38 Studios took another turn for the worse on Wednesday as two senior executives have apparently left the company and inside sources report that not only have employees not been paid but their health care coverage will run out on Thursday, May 24 as well.
Why do game studios keep imploding?
Dysfunction is baked into the video game production process, as it currently exists. The big-budget games industry is dominated by a few large companies, the publishers. Like book publishers, they are responsible for distributing and marketing games (much but not all of this is entirely digital now, but most of the publishers established themselves when game distribution meant getting physical discs and cartridges on retail store shelves). Games are actually made by studios, which are generally either owned directly by the publishers or independent. Making big-budget video games takes an enormous amount of highly specialized labor. It is possible for one person to make a game, and even for that game to be a hit, but the biggest, most profitable games released each year are nearly always made by enormous teams of people, working directly or indirectly for those publishers.
Create their own studio ala Activision but never forget where they came from ala Activision
Unions breed garbage product no matter what’s being made. Passion and drive to make awesome stuff goes out the window and it’s replaced by laziness, seniority over skill, office politics and all around horseshit. As a welder of 23 years, I’ve seen it first hand, over and over again.
I’d say there’s a time and a place for unions. If work conditions have gotten so bad because the company is run by tyrants, unions will help.
But, on the contrary, I work for one of those rare companies that is better for the employee than a union is. Family owned, we purchased a new facility in Jersey and the workers voted the union out based on the offer (pay, hours, benefits, etc). Now we have UNION scabs, hired by the union, to protest against us at various locations.
Do you remember the good old days, when video games put fast hack-and-slashing combat sequences and extensive levelling systems first and a deep narrative with memorable characters second? BigHuge Games certainly banked on gamers holding some kind of nostalgia for those titles of yore with their fantasy RPG Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning.
This is hilarious that i would see an article after I went and re-bought the game and playing it all week! I love the QTEs in this game its satisfying, the combat is fluid where you can switch from weapons to magic so easily, the weapons, armor, quests, character customizations, lore, world, voice acting, are all great this game has almost everything you'd need and want from an RPG!
I really wish there was going to be a KoAR 2!
COG writes - The games of the last generation were amazing and the COGconnected team decided to get together to countdown their favorites. The countdown inches to number 6 and the games are starting to get good... real good.
It really makes me sad to hear about hard working people losing their health care coverage. That stuff is expensive. I wish them all the best.
Used games was the cause!
that sucks, poor blokes.. Thats really sad. I hope this stuff gets sorted out and they atleast get their pay.
i am guessing their game didn't sell well enough otherwise EA would try to buy them?
why would you do a MMO when you new in business because it costs a lot to make a MMO?
very bad for business and very bad for 38 studios and sad at the same time, i hope a big publisher tries to help them keep their dreams alive
KOA was a very good game so i hope their things can get worked out
Honestly.....reading this it says they used over 45 million dollars and had over 75 million dollars available.....
Do you have any idea how many indie developers would LOVE to have that money to make something worthwhile? I honestly think something should be looked into here. Rhode Island FINALLY does something to help boom video games, and this studio completely screws it up and makes it harder for any future studios to do anything.
Sure its an MMO. it takes time and money to make an MMO....how many MMO's have failed recently? anyone with common sense would say put out something else first to get a boost while you work on the MMO.
I feel bad for the employees, I really do. Not taking any credit from them, but the CEO's and and business people SUCK and shouldn't find a job elsewhere. Honestly just sounds like Curt Shilling was looking to make a quick buck, and milked it for what its worth.