Obsidian Entertainment Hit With Layoffs

[Jonci]

Oh, man. I know one of those names.

 

[Black Watch]

I paid 60 bones for the "beta" version of New Vegas. With all of the glitches and issues with the game that proved they halfassed it, I think they got what they deserved.

If you can't do your job, you should quit while you are ahead.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

I'm absolutely baffled. Despite the bugs, New Vegas was a great game! It would suck to put so much into these games and then find yourself slapped in the face with a lay off despite the game doing better than its predecessor.

I thought it made quite a bit of money. I could see this if it didn't (maybe they were expecting more?). This just confuses me too.

 

[Turio]

I'm absolutely baffled. Despite the bugs, New Vegas was a great game! It would suck to put so much into these games and then find yourself slapped in the face with a lay off despite the game doing better than its predecessor.

I thought it made quite a bit of money. I could see this if it didn't (maybe they were expecting more?). This just confuses me too.

Post 23

Basically. They saw nothing of New Vegas Sales or only a small amount.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

Aw, man, this sucks for them. They were some of my favorite Devs. I loved Neverwinter Nights 2.
I am likely going to buy New Vegas when it comes out with the GotY ed, though, as I don't like the hassle of DLC on its own.

 

[Jonci]

I paid 60 bones for the "beta" version of New Vegas. With all of the glitches and issues with the game that proved they halfassed it, I think they got what they deserved.

If you can't do your job, you should quit while you are ahead.

Don't praise good people losing their jobs. The game industry is a harsh place to work in and it isn't easy finding a new job on short notice.

 

[AlternatePFG]

That sucks for Obsidian. For the record, New Vegas was personal favorite game last year and I do consider Obsidian to be one of the better developers out there, even with their games general bugginess.

 

[Black Watch]

I paid 60 bones for the "beta" version of New Vegas. With all of the glitches and issues with the game that proved they halfassed it, I think they got what they deserved.

If you can't do your job, you should quit while you are ahead.

Don't praise good people losing their jobs. The game industry is a harsh place to work in and it isn't easy finding a new job on short notice.

It maybe a harsh place to work, but that doesn't give you the excuse to sell an unfinished game. The last few games they released was riddled with bugs that could of been eliminated by simply hiring the people to test the game out. They didn't do it, and they could have.

Bottom line, they got what they deserved.

 

[Lost In The Void]

Well thats a damned shame; I wish those who lost their jobs the best of luck getting new ones; also I loved New Vegas since apparently thats the thread topic now too.

Love them as developers hope all lost land on their feet

 

[GiantRaven]

Since Obsidian released the two best games of last year, this really sucks to see. I hope it isn't the start of Obsidian vanishing completely. I don't know if I could take another of my favourite developers shutting down. I still miss Troika. =(

 

[Turio]

I paid 60 bones for the "beta" version of New Vegas. With all of the glitches and issues with the game that proved they halfassed it, I think they got what they deserved.

If you can't do your job, you should quit while you are ahead.

Don't praise good people losing their jobs. The game industry is a harsh place to work in and it isn't easy finding a new job on short notice.

It maybe a harsh place to work, but that doesn't give you the excuse to sell an unfinished game. The last few games they released was riddled with bugs that could of been eliminated by simply hiring the people to test the game out. They didn't do it, and they could have.

Bottom line, they got what they deserved.

? No, they couldn't?

Do you have any idea how the game industry works?`Do you believe moneys just laying out on the street? They have a QA Department. Doesn't mean its big or they could financally justify to have it big.

 

[Vrach]

Alpha protocol probably more to blame than anything else for the current situation.

The blame of which lies on reviewers who were way too harsh on a game (at least on PC, perhaps the console versions were buggier or sth) that did something exceptionally right (and quite innovative) while being all around fun

 

[icame]

Alpha protocol probably more to blame than anything else for the current situation.

Despite its flaws (Such as being absolute ass) alpha protcal actually sold pretty well.

http://www.destructoid.com/alpha-protocol-manages-sell-700k-in-spite-of-itself-180305.phtml

 

[Jonci]

I paid 60 bones for the "beta" version of New Vegas. With all of the glitches and issues with the game that proved they halfassed it, I think they got what they deserved.

If you can't do your job, you should quit while you are ahead.

Don't praise good people losing their jobs. The game industry is a harsh place to work in and it isn't easy finding a new job on short notice.

It maybe a harsh place to work, but that doesn't give you the excuse to sell an unfinished game. The last few games they released was riddled with bugs that could of been eliminated by simply hiring the people to test the game out. They didn't do it, and they could have.

Bottom line, they got what they deserved.

Do you think the majority of those people listed had a choice in the matter? Developers working for a publisher rarely are afforded the luxury of choosing a release date, much less the budget for any part of the team. They weren't happy with the bugs either and were working on them through development and after release. They had to keep burning the hours working for months after release and now some of them are thanked by being laid off.

 

[Choppaduel]

It seems that their careers have run into a glitch

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! [http://people.rit.edu/~bss6378/instantCSI/]

[hr/]

I'm confused by this move. Additionally, if they stop updating New Vegas, then they can expect a boycott.

 

[EllEzDee]

This is retribution for the shit they released and stamped as New Vegas.

 

[GonzoGamer]

I'm not usually one for schadenfreude but I really hope the morons who made the ps3 version of FNV got fired. They deserve it.
That thing was a travesty and even the latest patch adds all new bugs... just for the ps3 version.

 

[Sejs Cube]

It sucks when it happens, but it's far from unheard of. This sort of shit just runs in cycles in the industry. Workforce swell and cull is practically tidal at this point. Part of it ... well, a lot of it, has to do with the costs associated with AAA titles these days. They're big, and they take a lot of people working quite hard in order to get the game out within the market window available to that game. Once that's done, keeping so many people on payroll while your game's peak profitability slowly dwindles starts to bite into the profit margins that game produced. You either need to get them going on another project immediately, hit the ground running, or you need to cut people loose.

Sad but true.

On the bright side, the chances of them being picked up by another game producer is pretty strong. Interestingly one of the safest places to work in games isn't for a big-name studio, it's for one of the smaller companies that get contracted by the big houses to do support work for their large projects.

 

[Spawny0908]

Alpha protocol probably more to blame than anything else for the current situation.

Thats what I was thinking...even though it wasn't really bad. It just needed some more polishing.

 

[octafish]

Sad news, I hope the lay offs are enough to keep the company afloat, as harsh as they may be. Obsidian is currently my favourite developer, it would be a shame to add then to the list of great developers that have fallen by the wayside.