Zarriya said:
Jeff Butler was let go - that to me is the biggest one. He has been with SOE since 1999. He also founded Sigil games (later president), was Co-Executive Producer on Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. A very talented and a nice man.
Now that Jeff Butler has departed SOE/Daybreak, I hope He and Brad plan to have a talk. I would sincerely like to see the dynamic duo back in action & would love to have Jeff on board within the Pantheon project.
Hieromonk said:
Zarriya said:
Jeff Butler was let go - that to me is the biggest one. He has been with SOE since 1999. He also founded Sigil games (later president), was Co-Executive Producer on Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. A very talented and a nice man.
Now that Jeff Butler has departed SOE/Daybreak, I hope He and Brad plan to have a talk. I would sincerely like to see the dynamic duo back in action & would love to have Jeff on board within the Pantheon project.
It would be absolutely amazing to have Jeff on this project. I would personally bake him cookies ;)
Aerolia said:
I only know Elidroth (VG->EQ1 iirc). Not sure of his future there. :-(
Elidroth is still there == I spoke with him.
Anyone know if Darrin McPherson is still on the EQN design team? Just curious, with Moorguard and Butler gone.
Aradune said:
Aerolia said:
I only know Elidroth (VG->EQ1 iirc). Not sure of his future there. :-(
Elidroth is still there == I spoke with him.
Anyone know if Darrin McPherson is still on the EQN design team? Just curious, with Moorguard and Butler gone.
I am NDA'd however there is a very good list with solid sources that list who has been affected by the layoffs here: http://www.reddit.com/r/h1z1/comments/2vmp48/master_list_of_developers_affected_by_the_layoffs/
A lot of these big wigs being let go, tells me on thing: They were paid, a lot. Not sure if VR that is mostly volunteer will be for them. Maybe if it gets sponsorship/picked up.
Its the nature of the beast. If I bought a company that was barely profitable, the first thing I would do is figure out a way to make it so. Which would include tough, but necessary cuts.
Fingurs said:
A lot of these big wigs being let go, tells me on thing: They were paid, a lot. Not sure if VR that is mostly volunteer will be for them. Maybe if it gets sponsorship/picked up.
Its the nature of the beast. If I bought a company that was barely profitable, the first thing I would do is figure out a way to make it so. Which would include tough, but necessary cuts.
Conversely, if they were paid a lot, and they have a lot, well then they have the cushion of money to take the risk and not get paid for a bit ;)
Zarriya said:
Fingurs said:
A lot of these big wigs being let go, tells me on thing: They were paid, a lot. Not sure if VR that is mostly volunteer will be for them. Maybe if it gets sponsorship/picked up.
Its the nature of the beast. If I bought a company that was barely profitable, the first thing I would do is figure out a way to make it so. Which would include tough, but necessary cuts.
Conversely, if they were paid a lot, and they have a lot, well then they have the cushion of money to take the risk and not get paid for a bit ;)
Lol - Rich people got bills too. :)
Kilsin said:
A Dev from PlanetSide 2 that was laid off and his views on the subject:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/2vm5nl/dont_hate_on_columbus_novadaybreak/
Aww so sad :( Still don't like "investment companies" and you won't convince me otherwise. All those now jobless folks, especially in these days....just not a good thing at all.
Hieromonk said:
Zarriya said:
Jeff Butler was let go - that to me is the biggest one. He has been with SOE since 1999. He also founded Sigil games (later president), was Co-Executive Producer on Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. A very talented and a nice man.
Now that Jeff Butler has departed SOE/Daybreak, I hope He and Brad plan to have a talk. I would sincerely like to see the dynamic duo back in action & would love to have Jeff on board within the Pantheon project.
All depends if the fences were mended back then over VG...they went their separate career paths after that, far as I have read, so who knows. But there has been fence mending happening here with our current great team, so there's always hope. :)
Zarriya said:
Fingurs said:
A lot of these big wigs being let go, tells me on thing: They were paid, a lot. Not sure if VR that is mostly volunteer will be for them. Maybe if it gets sponsorship/picked up.
Its the nature of the beast. If I bought a company that was barely profitable, the first thing I would do is figure out a way to make it so. Which would include tough, but necessary cuts.
Conversely, if they were paid a lot, and they have a lot, well then they have the cushion of money to take the risk and not get paid for a bit ;)
I was listening to a news broadcast yesterday where some economist was saying that the so-called well off are the ones that have saved the least for retirement, and that the lower ranks are more likely to be well set for retirement years.
I have no idea how well or how poorly these people are paid, but let's hope for their sakes, they have something put by for emergencies. The other thing that was said was that you should try to have at least the equivalent of 6 month's pay put by for emergencies. lol that was something I was never able to do.. one month yes, six months, hell no. :D
Although Brad will never say it publically, nor should he, this is an overwhelming positive for Visionary Realms, and to be honest any gaming studio looking for talent.
Lets see what we snag up.
Pantheon will be made, Pantheon will rock, Brad is the man, Joppa is ridic, and Kickstarter in the end will have Kickstart this project w/w/o funding :)
The regulars that went to Fan Faire / SoE Live in the past are putting together a fan faire of their own in Las Vegas this year in August called Project Fan Faire.
Personally, I think that the Pantheon crew should show up, and bring them in to the Pantheon fold.
Just saying...
Reht said:
Interesting post by a former PS2 producer on reddit:
Hey guys,
I came on to say goodbye to you guys (at least in my current role, prepare for lurking), but after scanning the front page I wanted to change the flavor of the post a bit.
Columbus Nova deserves no hate in all this. They are more like white knights than negative forces here. SOE needed a shake up/new direction, and CN provided that. They have done nothing but been gracious in their new ownership, and they went out of their way to make sure that Devs and support teams that got laid off were taken care of. Right now things seem shitty, and of course for the folks that were let go, today was rough, but CN and DB were both very open about the need for restructuring. This wasn't a surprise to folks in the company.
Gaming is a tough industry, and not for everyone. I've seen lots of people come and go, both good and otherwise. The fact is, there are no (or at least, extremely few) permanent gaming jobs. If you want to have just one job in your career, don't pick gaming, or even computer software. It's just the nature of the beast in such a pioneering industry. But the flip side is that there is always a new opportunity awaiting, it just may require a move to a new location or some other sacrifice.
Most of the let go folks will be working in the gaming industry soon. The rest may decide to move on to other, less volatile lines of work. But no one I talked to regrets their time making games for folks to enjoy. It's a rare job that lets you bring pleasure to so many people's lives.
Back to the subject - if you guys feel angry or betrayed, it would be misdirected to place that at the feet of the new company. They didn't bring in new staff to replace us, or say we did a shitty job and treat us poorly - they looked at the bottom line and the numbers just didn't line up. The new layout lines up now, and the goal is that DB can be successful and move on from this and eventually expand again. Saying "I'm cancelling my sub" or "I'm never buying another thing in PS2" isn't the right tactic, as much as the former Devs appreciate the intent of your support. If you want to make a positive impact, then keep doing what you're doing - if you like the game, play it. Give feedback. Get your friends to play. Buy what you want to, and what you feel gives you value. If you aren't happy, tell DB through the means you do now, social media and /bug reports. The game will grow or shrink depending on how you guys act, which is how it should be. If you make a statement on principal for the dearly departed devs, you will be hurting the remaining staff who have worked just as hard to make you guys a game you like to play. They may not be all names you know, but trust me, they put their blood, sweat, and tears into this.
TL;DR - CN didn't do this, it was something that had to be done. CN is providing a chance for the games you love to continue going
-David C, former PS2 Producer
Maybe there still is some hope....
I did post that link 5 posts above yours man... ;)
CanadinaXegony said:
Hieromonk said:
Zarriya said:
Jeff Butler was let go - that to me is the biggest one. He has been with SOE since 1999. He also founded Sigil games (later president), was Co-Executive Producer on Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. A very talented and a nice man.
Now that Jeff Butler has departed SOE/Daybreak, I hope He and Brad plan to have a talk. I would sincerely like to see the dynamic duo back in action & would love to have Jeff on board within the Pantheon project.
All depends if the fences were mended back then over VG...they went their separate career paths after that, far as I have read, so who knows. But there has been fence mending happening here with our current great team, so there's always hope. :)
Oh, I am aware.
But the whole world would benefit if David Gilmour and Roger Waters allowed their talents to mix once again...
Kilsin said:
Reht said:
Interesting post by a former PS2 producer on reddit:
Hey guys,
I came on to say goodbye to you guys (at least in my current role, prepare for lurking), but after scanning the front page I wanted to change the flavor of the post a bit.
Columbus Nova deserves no hate in all this. They are more like white knights than negative forces here. SOE needed a shake up/new direction, and CN provided that. They have done nothing but been gracious in their new ownership, and they went out of their way to make sure that Devs and support teams that got laid off were taken care of. Right now things seem shitty, and of course for the folks that were let go, today was rough, but CN and DB were both very open about the need for restructuring. This wasn't a surprise to folks in the company.
Gaming is a tough industry, and not for everyone. I've seen lots of people come and go, both good and otherwise. The fact is, there are no (or at least, extremely few) permanent gaming jobs. If you want to have just one job in your career, don't pick gaming, or even computer software. It's just the nature of the beast in such a pioneering industry. But the flip side is that there is always a new opportunity awaiting, it just may require a move to a new location or some other sacrifice.
Most of the let go folks will be working in the gaming industry soon. The rest may decide to move on to other, less volatile lines of work. But no one I talked to regrets their time making games for folks to enjoy. It's a rare job that lets you bring pleasure to so many people's lives.
Back to the subject - if you guys feel angry or betrayed, it would be misdirected to place that at the feet of the new company. They didn't bring in new staff to replace us, or say we did a shitty job and treat us poorly - they looked at the bottom line and the numbers just didn't line up. The new layout lines up now, and the goal is that DB can be successful and move on from this and eventually expand again. Saying "I'm cancelling my sub" or "I'm never buying another thing in PS2" isn't the right tactic, as much as the former Devs appreciate the intent of your support. If you want to make a positive impact, then keep doing what you're doing - if you like the game, play it. Give feedback. Get your friends to play. Buy what you want to, and what you feel gives you value. If you aren't happy, tell DB through the means you do now, social media and /bug reports. The game will grow or shrink depending on how you guys act, which is how it should be. If you make a statement on principal for the dearly departed devs, you will be hurting the remaining staff who have worked just as hard to make you guys a game you like to play. They may not be all names you know, but trust me, they put their blood, sweat, and tears into this.
TL;DR - CN didn't do this, it was something that had to be done. CN is providing a chance for the games you love to continue going
-David C, former PS2 Producer
Maybe there still is some hope....
I did post that link 5 posts above yours man... ;)
2 things:
1) You're the community manager so we don't read your posts now and
2) You're the community manager and you used your powers for evil and added your post after mine but made it look like you scooped me!
That's my story and sticking to it...... :-)
Reht said:
Kilsin said:
I did post that link 5 posts above yours man... ;)
2 things:
1) You're the community manager so we don't read your posts now and
2) You're the community manager and you used your powers for evil and added your post after mine but made it look like you scooped me!
That's my story and sticking to it...... :-)
That's even more reason to read my posts mate, I am your voice now! I am here for everyone and your link between the Community and the Team :)
I only have good powers, they wouldn't let me have the evil ones, I did ask for them but Joppa said I need more training first lol :P
Hieromonk said:CanadinaXegony said:
Hieromonk said:
Zarriya said:
Jeff Butler was let go - that to me is the biggest one. He has been with SOE since 1999. He also founded Sigil games (later president), was Co-Executive Producer on Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. A very talented and a nice man.
Now that Jeff Butler has departed SOE/Daybreak, I hope He and Brad plan to have a talk. I would sincerely like to see the dynamic duo back in action & would love to have Jeff on board within the Pantheon project.
All depends if the fences were mended back then over VG...they went their separate career paths after that, far as I have read, so who knows. But there has been fence mending happening here with our current great team, so there's always hope. :)
Oh, I am aware.
But the whole world would benefit if David Gilmour and Roger Waters allowed their talents to mix once again...
Kilsin said:
Reht said:
Kilsin said:I did post that link 5 posts above yours man... ;)
2 things:
1) You're the community manager so we don't read your posts now and
2) You're the community manager and you used your powers for evil and added your post after mine but made it look like you scooped me!
That's my story and sticking to it...... :-)
That's even more reason to read my posts mate, I am your voice now! I am here for everyone and your link between the Community and the Team :)
I only have good powers, they wouldn't let me have the evil ones, I did ask for them but Joppa said I need more training first lol :P
We all think it would be cool to shoot fireballs from our hands, until we realize the destruction we'd cause by being stuck in traffic ;)
Convo said:
Hieromonk said:
CanadinaXegony said:
Hieromonk said:
Zarriya said:
Jeff Butler was let go - that to me is the biggest one. He has been with SOE since 1999. He also founded Sigil games (later president), was Co-Executive Producer on Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. A very talented and a nice man.
Now that Jeff Butler has departed SOE/Daybreak, I hope He and Brad plan to have a talk. I would sincerely like to see the dynamic duo back in action & would love to have Jeff on board within the Pantheon project.
All depends if the fences were mended back then over VG...they went their separate career paths after that, far as I have read, so who knows. But there has been fence mending happening here with our current great team, so there's always hope. :)
Oh, I am aware.
But the whole world would benefit if David Gilmour and Roger Waters allowed their talents to mix once again...
Serious question, what talents does butler have? I'm not trying to be a debby downer but he brings nothing of value to this project unless he's bringing money. He never did the work at SoE. He just took the credit. Much more qualified people lost their jobs the other day that Brad should be trying to recruit. Let's not forget. Denial of service comment too.. Ugh
No one on the internal team is interested in recruiting Butler, Convo, for reasons.
Though, if funding does come in for us, there are plenty of exceedingly talented people, both freshly loosed from SOE and beyond, that we would love to bring on the team and will likely pursue.
Convo said:
That's good to hear. There really are some talented people not working. If Brad could pull a miracle out of his ass and recruit Lyndro, that would be a huge shot in the arm for your team.
No joke