Ryuu96 said:
I'm aware Microsoft packages are extremely generous but not everyone is working solely for the money, for some it is their dream job. I understand why from a business perspective it is done, but at the same time, it is still heartless, cold and calculated. Other layoffs don't make a lick of sense like the developer layoffs at COD and come across only as a blind cost cutting measure to lay off whoever to save a bit of money. And this industry is laying off across the board, thousands of employees every year, people literally can't find another job in it due to how many people are unemployed now due to layoffs and due to how many layoffs just keep happening. This industry collectively seems to think that employees aren't human beings, they seem to think they're just machines, they can fire them 10x over and everything will be okay. They're wrong, we've already had reports that there's a shortage of talent in the industry, what do publishers think is going to happen when they mentally destroy thousands of employees over and over again? They'll follow others burnout from crunch and leave the industry. If you're leaving college right now with a huge debt, why the fuck would you want to join the gaming industry right now? It's too unstable and volatile. And when publishers need these employees again in the future...Good luck, cause they aren't going to be here. |
Its just seems interesting that a lot of you were cheering this merger but forgot the end results. This is usually the outcome of just about ever merger. There will be a lot of jobs getting cut.
As for MS being right or wrong, I have to say your information on the subject is very limited. There definitely isn't a shortage of talent if a lot of dev studios and publishers are laying off people. I think a lot of you forget that there have been a lot of dev closures as well as layoffs. If anything, its a sign that the industry over hired for the output they can produce. Not long ago you were comparing how much it cost to make Spiderman 2 and other Sony games. Game development is very expensive and a lot of companies are cutting back because they cannot sustain that type of cost in an industry that is hit or miss.
As to what will happen in the industry, what happens to any industry when there are a lot of layoffs. As stated this is an industry wide event not something just isolated to the games industry. People will either create their own studios, leave the game or tech sector or find another job. The company I use to work for is in a totally different industry then the one I work today but as with anything you will adapt. I could easily go back to that industry but I actually find myself free from that thinking and see so many different options.
As to the employees being available for publishers and dev studios, actually yes they will. I could not tell you how many times I have seen people get cut and end up right back at the same company when things settle down. Not only do they come back but they usually come back at a much higher pay. Not only will they be there but they will probably have a much fatter pockets when they left. There were a few times, I was hoping for the layoff because of the amount of money I was going to get in my severance package. I already had another job lined up because most companies inform their employees that layoffs are coming.
My point is that its really not the end of the world but instead just the beginning. The company I use to work for layoff another additional 150 people. Most of them I knew because I worked there for 15 years. All have found new jobs and the majority found better jobs with better pay.
