Layoffs Hit Aliens: Colonial Marines Co-Developer

[Andy Chalk]

Layoffs Hit Aliens: Colonial Marines Co-Developer

TimeGate Studios, one of the developers behind the Aliens: Colonial Marines debacle, has been forced to cut staff.

If TimeGate Studios is fresh in your memory these days, it's likely because of its involvement in the disastrous Aliens: Colonial Marines, which came out last month to nearly universal derision. Gearbox, the studio that's actually credited for the game, claimed after it came out that a substantial portion of the work was done by TimeGate, and whether or not that's true - Sega denied it, and Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford stated in mid-2012 that 80 percent of the work was being done by Gearbox - TimeGate now appears to be suffering for it.

"Today, we had to make the difficult decision to let go of some great game developers. This is never easy, and we're doing all we can to assist those developers affected," TimeGate President Adel Chaveleh confirmed with Polygon. "TimeGate is preparing, as is the entire industry, for the transition to next-generation consoles and new business models. As part of this reinvention, all projects and strategic initiatives continue to move forward at the studio."

Sources say that about 25 people were cut from the TimeGate roster, although Chaveleh declined to give specific numbers. The cuts were reportedly connected to a failed publishing deal.

While TimeGate's role in Aliens: Colonial Marines may have brought it unwelcome notoriety, the studio is probably better known to shooter fans for its Section 8 games and the F.E.A.R. expansions Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate.

Source: Polygon [http://www.polygon.com/2013/3/4/4063842/layoffs-hit-one-of-the-aliens-colonial-marines-development-studios]


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[JenSeven]

and new business models

This worries me.
It might mean "microtransactions to access content that was already on the disc" or "microtransactions to access meaningless junk".
All I know, this new business model will involve microtransactions and customer milking.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Well, let's all stand around for ten seconds and pretend to be surprised.

..8, 9, 10. There we go, you can all get back to what you were doing. None of you were actually surprised by this move after the fecal bomb called Aliens: Colonial Marines was dropped on an unsuspecting public, were you? I thought not. Pity there's folks losing their jobs, of course, but still.

 

[Chemical Alia]

I had a lot of friends at TimeGate. Unfortunately, most of them were laid off in December. They've been having trouble at that studio for some time. I'm worried for the few who remained, one of my programmer friends just posted a "" on Facebook.

 

[Terramax]

Even if TimeGate programmed 100% of the game, it wasn't their decision to release it in that state, so the guys at the top of GearBox (and I guess Sega as well) know where they can stick that defense.

Tis' a shame there are layoffs, but it was pretty much on the cards after this debacle. How could any of the 3 companies NOT see people let go, either by force, or without choice, after all that has happened.

 

[Rad Party God]

Well, it's kind of bittersweet, on the one hand, I'm like "yeah, not surprised at all", but on the other, it's never funny for someone to lose his job, especially after the epic debacle that was/is A:CM.

I think Gearbox should've fired some of it's staff (since DNF) instead of Timegate's, whatever their role was in the development, I feel like Gearbox simply washed their hands and blamed Timegate for their steaming pile of excretion.

 

[IanDavis]

I'm sure that the rage surrounding the game didn't help, but don't devs almost always cut staff after a release?

 

[Robot Number V]

"Section 8" and the "FEAR" expansions, huh?

Not to sound harsh or anything, but it kinda sounds like this was a long time coming.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

that's it, thats the final straw Gearbox. you claim the game is 80% your work then people hate it and you shift blame to another company and they take the hit? fuck you Gearbox. fuck you forever.

 

[Korten12]

"Section 8" and the "FEAR" expansions, huh?

Not to sound harsh or anything, but it kinda sounds like this was a long time coming.

Section 8: Prejudice was great. It really was. If it hadn't used GFWL. It could have been amazing, but GFWL held it back even with the dedicated servers.

and new business models

This worries me.
It might mean "microtransactions to access content that was already on the disc" or "microtransactions to access meaningless junk".
All I know, this new business model will involve microtransactions and customer milking.

The last time they did this (Time Gate specifically), they decided to take a bet and release Section 8: Prejudice for $15 instead of the standard $60...

So maybe no microtransactions?

 

[l3o2828]

No shit.

'After abusing of a child and being caught, people go to jail'

or

'People die if they are killed'

 

[Tradjus]

I really hate it when people lose their jobs for things that aren't ultimately their faults.
I really doubt any of these people had any say in the games that this developer has made coming out, at best, less than great and at worse abysmal failures. But they're being punished for what the upper management and higher echelons decided to do, as is the way these things go.

 

[infohippie]

"Today, we had to make the difficult decision to let go of some great game developers."
...And we also dumped some of the guys who worked on that Aliens game.

Thank you, I'll be here all week.

 

[Andy Chalk]

The last time they did this (Time Gate specifically), they decided to take a bet and release Section 8: Prejudice for $15 instead of the standard $60...

This is a point worth emphasizing. Section 8: Prejudice may not have been the Best Shooter Ever, but it was a $15 indie title. In that light, it was a hell of a good game. TimeGate may have bitten off more than it could chew with ACM, or maybe it got hung out to dry by Gearbox, or maybe who knows what - but it's a competent indie studio that was going good things, and it's a shame that it had to cut people, especially if it's the result of ACM fallout.

 

[Strazdas]

so the people whos last thing that could be considered acceptable was when.... ah, yes, November 2007......
got laid out. gosh, they managed to pretend to work for quite a while here.

 

[snekadid]

"Section 8" and the "FEAR" expansions, huh?

Not to sound harsh or anything, but it kinda sounds like this was a long time coming.

Section 8: Prejudice was great. It really was. If it hadn't used GFWL. It could have been amazing, but GFWL held it back even with the dedicated servers.

GFWL is the key problem though, I enjoyed section 8: prejudice for a good week and then deleted it because I couldn't stand GFWL anymore. I wanted that virus off my computer and I was going to destroy everything that was responsible as retribution.

 

[Dogstile]

"Section 8" and the "FEAR" expansions, huh?

Not to sound harsh or anything, but it kinda sounds like this was a long time coming.

What, the expansions that were widely held as being in fears case, better than the actual game and in section 8's case, as good as the game?

Makes total sense.