Obsidian Entertainment Hit With Layoffs

[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.

 

[Worr Monger]

Hopefully this isn't the first sign on Obsidian's demise. Despite the bugs that are often present in their games, they're one of the better developers around. I've thoroughly enjoyed all of their games.

I never played any of the Neverwinter Nights games, but KOTOR 2, Alpha Protocol, and New Vegas... loved them all.. and I already pre-ordered Dungeon Siege III (without having played the first 2).

Stay strong Obsidian!

 

[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.

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.

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.

It was their fault, and THEY could of done something. From New Vegas' state, you could tell that no play testing was done. Most of the bugs in the game could of be eliminated if a couple of the developers played though it themselves. However that didn't happen.

Oh, and saying that they were trying to fix the bugs after release means nothing when a lot of your customers don't have internet access. They released the game on the idea that they could ship it now and fix it later. Now look where it got them.

 

[Sannom]

This is sad. New Vegas was easily my favorite game of the year, despite the bugs.

Wonder what this means for New Vegas DLC?

I think it means that a great deal of the work on the DLC is already done. Obsidian went from a very big project (New Vegas) to several smaller projects (Dungeon Siege 3 and some of the others they've talking about, plus the DLC), so perhaps that it is logical that some people, especially the ones who worked on the DLC, are let go.

 

[Sannom]

EDIT : sorry about the double-post, for some reason my precedent post didn't appear when I actualized the page.

Oh, and saying that they were trying to fix the bugs after release means nothing when a lot of your customers don't have internet access. They released the game on the idea that they could ship it now and fix it later. Now look where it got them.

Wait, wait, you're telling me people without an internet connection bought a Steamwork game??? That thing requires you to DOWNLOAD the game even if you have the DVD! Who would be crazy enough to buy it without a functioning connection?

 

[Black Watch]

EDIT : sorry about the double-post, for some reason my precedent post didn't appear when I actualized the page.

Oh, and saying that they were trying to fix the bugs after release means nothing when a lot of your customers don't have internet access. They released the game on the idea that they could ship it now and fix it later. Now look where it got them.

Wait, wait, you're telling me people without an internet connection bought a Steamwork game??? That thing requires you to DOWNLOAD the game even if you have the DVD! Who would be crazy enough to buy it without a functioning connection?

I am talking about the consoles champ.

 

[MasterChief892039]

Honestly, the entire company could go belly up and I wouldn't blink an eye. They've never once released a game that worked properly, and although they had a solid plot for New Vegas, they also stripped it of all the personality of the previous Fallout games. I hope the people who lost their jobs can find new work and a way to support themselves, but I have no sympathy for Obsidian Entertainment.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I am saddened by the amount of people here that seem happy about this. This is terrible for the people who work at Obsidian. I can put up with bugs if it doesn't cost people their jobs.

Releasing buggy games and getting laid off is not what I'd call Karma. Its what I call a damn shame.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Hopefully this isn't the first sign on Obsidian's demise. Despite the bugs that are often present in their games, they're one of the better developers around. I've thoroughly enjoyed all of their games.

I never played any of the Neverwinter Nights games, but KOTOR 2, Alpha Protocol, and New Vegas... loved them all.. and I already pre-ordered Dungeon Siege III (without having played the first 2).

Stay strong Obsidian!

The first two Dungeon Siege games were made by Gas Powered Games, but they are worth it. The first one is dirt cheap and has the glory of no loading times at all, and the second one actually has a good story. Pick them up if you can find them.

 

[Psycho Cat Industries]

Lets get these people into a collective and make a new post-nuke game!If not that then,they'd make amazing "make your own history" games in general.

 

[Canadish]

Isn't Dungeon Siege 3 still in Alpha?

Its very sad, but, I guess you could say...

...Its just Protocol

 

[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.

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.

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.

It was their fault, and THEY could of done something. From New Vegas' state, you could tell that no play testing was done. Most of the bugs in the game could of be eliminated if a couple of the developers played though it themselves. However that didn't happen.

Oh, and saying that they were trying to fix the bugs after release means nothing when a lot of your customers don't have internet access. They released the game on the idea that they could ship it now and fix it later. Now look where it got them.

No they couldn't. So tell, what could they have done then?

You have no idea how bug testing works, do you? You have no idea how the industry works.

Still, you are making some seriously stupid statements.

Also just a little info. The BIG QA Departments in the industry DON'T live with the developers. They live with the Publisher. Thats just a fact.

 

[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.

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.

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.

It was their fault, and THEY could of done something. From New Vegas' state, you could tell that no play testing was done. Most of the bugs in the game could of be eliminated if a couple of the developers played though it themselves. However that didn't happen.

Oh, and saying that they were trying to fix the bugs after release means nothing when a lot of your customers don't have internet access. They released the game on the idea that they could ship it now and fix it later. Now look where it got them.

No they couldn't. So tell, what could they have done then?

You have no idea how bug testing works, do you? You have no idea how the industry works.

Still, you are making some seriously stupid statements.

Also just a little info. The BIG QA Departments in the industry DON'T live with the developers. They live with the Publisher. Thats just a fact.

They were working on a Fallout game, one of Bethesda's biggest IPs, they could have had it tested, but they didn't. Play testing is always an option. That is a simple fact and given their track record with bugs, they should have foreseen this and tried to fix it.

What is done is done. They got what they deserved and your crying about it wont fix a thing.

Honestly, the entire company could go belly up and I wouldn't blink an eye. They've never once released a game that worked properly, and although they had a solid plot for New Vegas, they also stripped it of all the personality of the previous Fallout games. I hope the people who lost their jobs can find new work and a way to support themselves, but I have no sympathy for Obsidian Entertainment.

Quoted for truth. I hope they can find new work to, just not in the gaming industry.

 

[Sannom]

(1) They were working on a Fallout game, one of Bethesda's biggest IPs, they could have had it tested, but they didn't. Play testing is always an option. That is a simple fact and given their track record with bugs, they should have foreseen this and tried to fix it.

(1) You're seriously saying that Bethesda didn't get their game tested as thoroughly as possible? Wow, you must do it on purpose!

Also, just for my information, which platform are we talking about here?