Video game companies are bad | Take-Two sack 580 people (5% of workforce)

Iwata was a leftie soyboy who didn't understand that the blood of the workforce is what makes capitalism GREAT. :capnscotty:

Balladeer wrote:
Christopher wrote:Maybe it’s time to end the arms race of bigger and better hardware as well as software? I’m sure iterative hardware releases would be enough going forward until costs are cheaper then move onto more powerful hardware?

But then how can companies attract a huge amount of press attention by releasing a similar yet slightly shinier box!?

Watch Sony announce PS5 Pro with typically tone dead timing.

Balladeer wrote:Iwata was a leftie soyboy who didn't understand that the blood of the workforce is what makes capitalism GREAT.

...

.

Victor Mildew wrote:Watch Sony announce PS5 Pro with typically tone dead timing.

Oh, god, no... surely not :lol:

. Right? Right?

jawa_ wrote:
Balladeer wrote:Iwata was a leftie soyboy who didn't understand that the blood of the workforce is what makes capitalism GREAT.

... .

Victor Mildew wrote:Watch Sony announce PS5 Pro with typically tone dead timing.

Oh, god, no... surely not . Right? Right?

*shareholder value intesifies*

Probably looking at 50-75 gone from Imsomniac if the leaks from a couple months ago were correct, they got the one studio closing correct -

twitter.com/nathan_brown/status/1762466931070619950

Monkey Man wrote:

twitter.com/nathan_brown/status/1762466931070619950

I want to see the expenses claim that strawberry floater has put in from that trip.

ListenToNathan

Christopher wrote:Remember when Iwata took a pay decrease to ensure there were layoffs at Nintendo?

That bastard.

Hexx wrote:
Christopher wrote:Remember when Iwata took a pay decrease to ensure there were layoffs at Nintendo?

That bastard.

Less pay for Iwata + layoffs = happy shareholders

Anger typing be a harsh mistress.

Christopher wrote:Anger typing be a harsh mistress.

Please don't understand.

Christopher wrote:Anger typing be a harsh mistress.

Only teasing little buddy :wub:

twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1762503092593999913

Bang goes one of the multiple live service games, Twisted Metal as well.

What has even been the trigger for all these layoffs this year? It doesn't even seem to be just the games industry but the wider tech industry seems to be impacted as well, despite companies continuing to report increasing profits and revenues.

Well, I know the actual trigger is just "More profits and money for shareholders!!!!" but the companies don't seem to be coming out with even weak excuses.

Lagamorph wrote:What has even been the trigger for all these layoffs this year? It doesn't even seem to be just the games industry but the wider tech industry seems to be impacted as well, despite companies continuing to report increasing profits and revenues.

Well, I know the actual trigger is just "More profits and money for shareholders!!!!" but the companies don't seem to be coming out with even weak excuses.

IMHO it's a combination of factors:

> Despite the famous game industry quotes around "gaming is not affected by challenges in the general economy"... sales are being affected by challenges in the general economy. £70 pricing points are beyond the reach of the mass market for the vast majority of games

> "AAA" gaming budgets are pretty crazy now; the amount of people involved in making them greatly reduces the potential for profit

> Some games are selling incredibly well but many aren't; the market is more polarised than it was. There are some big winners (Fortnite! Call of Duty! Helldivers!) but many more losers

> Some game companies are now so big now that their game releases must be huge hits to support them. If they're not...

> Companies must make more money than before every single year; any slight decrease and they've "under-performed". Sacking staff is a quick route to saving some money and thus keeping shareholders happy

Some companies also expanded rapidly because of Covid and it’s backfired (on the employees anyway), as people’s leisure time has obviously now decreased, coupled with a cost of living crisis.

Jim Ryan be like Smile for the camera, smile you little bastards. Or I’ll ave ya.

He knew.

On the Iwata thing - I think what he did has been mythologised to a certain degree. Japanese labour laws make mass layoffs pretty difficult, the company has to be a real trouble and demonstrate that they have tried other cost cutting methods like management pay cuts, asking for voluntary redundancies, or cutting hours. . The pay cut would have just been a part of that.

<edit> worth pointing out that around the same time Nintendo fired 320 staff in Europe.

It's a shame modern Sony's first party studios are just there to churn out basically the same third-person AAA cinematic game in different skins over and over again. They've got strawberry float all identity about them now.

Video game companies are bad | Take-Two sack 580 people (5% of workforce)

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