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Star Wars: The Old Republic: Bioware Rocked By Layoffs

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  • AerowynAerowyn Member Posts: 7,928
    Originally posted by Loke666

    It really depends on how big the layoffs were. Many MMOs do fire some people after they launch but one would expect a company like Bioware to move the people to another project, like DA3 or something.

    I wont call the game a failure, at least not now but things could be better for Bioware. Those predicted 2 million players at the end of the year seems further and further away.

    On the other hand do the game still have over a million players 6 months after launch so if EA is dissapointed it is because they had too high expectations. Anyone else beside Blizzard would be really happy for those numbers.

    true but if it were just a couple people here and there I don't think it would of warranted an official writeup from them.

    I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg

  • crysentcrysent Member UncommonPosts: 841

    The statements here are just silly:

     

    Look, the reasons for the lay offs are probably varied:  Certainly some people getting laid off are a normal stage of an MMO following release.

    At the same time, it's hard to deny that a population hit of at least 400K won't effect Biowares massive employee base.  There is little doubt that ToR is having some population problems...

  • KabaalKabaal Member UncommonPosts: 3,042
    Originally posted by Dredphyre

    I just have to repost this from the Officials because I knew it would get deleted, and sure enough it did:

     

     

    GrandAdmlStrife: 
     
    screw content; one of the ones 'let go' today was my brother-in-law, who worked on the IA class story. Let me tell you something about QA and CS here, they DON'T DO THEIR JOBS. He only found out about bugs in the class story because I was telling him what we saw on the forums here. CS and QA ARE NOT forwarding those issues where they need to go. For instance, the class quest for IA that's been bugged since launch? And was supposedly fixed last week? He did the fix in 20 minutes' time, turned it in to his boss, and it sat on his desk instead of actually being implemented. He told me he even stood in front of a meeting and asked why he was only finding out about bugs from his family instead of QA and CS. Then he gets canned. 
     
    Good thing I didn't re-up this month, wife and I are DONE with this game.
     
    Good job, BW. Wait til everyone came in to can them. Didn't even let them past security.
     
    Cuts were across the board, so I know he wasn't targeted, but now this means understaffed departments doing 2 or 3 or 4 times the workload.
     
     
    I've suspected this for a long time. I honestly don't think QA and CS are doing their jobs when it comes to reporting issues and bugs. Anyway, I wanted this post to live on.

    I take posts that are hearsay from a brother, uncle, budgie type thing with a pinch of salt but that would surprise me even if it came from the horses mouth. You just don't expect that amount of lack of awareness from a company like Bioware/EA. Bugs like have been seen with the class quests should have been of the highest priority and whether that post is for real or not they did seem to take a helluva long time to fix them, instead fixing and changing other aspects of the game that were less important.

  • kishekishe Member UncommonPosts: 2,012

    This is an ongoing pattern with EA.

     

    *EA buys Origin*

    EA "Hey! Take your awfully popular MMO and make it just like WoW! ...that ought to sell well!"

    *Origin does that and their game is next to dead year later*

    *EA fires half of Origin staff*

    *EA buys Mythic*

    EA "Hey! Licence awfully popular game trademark and make it just like WoW!" 

    *Mythic does that and their game flops*

    *EA fires most of Mythic employees*

    *EA buys Bioware*

    EA: "Hey! Take your awfully popular game brands and give them Activision treatment by giving them lots of shiny and movie effects but ditch the gameplay! Oh...and make your MMO just like wow!"

    *Bioware does that, makes Dragon Age 2 that has 1 city and few variations of same map and ME3 thats 80% of cutscenes and 20% of ME2 gameplay with plot that makes absolutely no sense...oh and SWTOR thats just like wow!*

    *Bioware Fails big time*

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • McGamerMcGamer Member UncommonPosts: 1,073

    Well SWTOR is obviously a sinking ship now. While some think it might be normal, it isn't. What some people are mistaking is that normally staff get reassigned to other projects after launch, not fired. 

     

    Another reason the ship is apparently sinking is because if BW had any hope of making a comeback, they would be making use of the staff they have, not fire them. Instead BW seems to be cutting losses now and prepared to let the game idle with trivial updates every once in a while.

     

    It really is sad so many companies these days don't listen to the gamers and learn from the mistakes of the past failed mmo's.

     
     
  • KakkzookaKakkzooka Member Posts: 591

    A lesson to be leaned by all from this. Shoveling bullshit after gold does not a good game make.

    Re: SWTOR

    "Remember, remember - Kakk says 'December.'"

  • bingbongbrosbingbongbros Member UncommonPosts: 689
    If swtor was doing as swimmingly as bioware lets on then their team would be needed at full strength to keep content and game updates fast paced and regular. Not to mention that those same people that just got layed off would be needes for expansion work in the future since they were part of the machine that helped build this Titanic of mmos.

    More likely EA is doing its usual of firing every dev that made thia game possible and will bring in lower paid devs for whatever future expansion they need. If there ever will be one at this rate.

    Playing: Smite, Marvel Heroes
    Played: Nexus:Kingdom of the Winds, Everquest, DAoC, Everquest 2, WoW, Matrix Online, Vangaurd, SWG, DDO, EVE, Fallen Earth, LoTRo, CoX, Champions Online, WAR, Darkfall, Mortal Online, Guild Wars, Rift, Tera, Aion, AoC, Gods and Heroes, DCUO, FF14, TSW, SWTOR, GW2, Wildstar, ESO, ArcheAge
    Waiting On: Nothing. Mmorpg's are dead.

  • VhalnVhaln Member Posts: 3,159
    Originally posted by Kabaal

    I'd have thought scaling back after an MMO has launched would be normal practice. I'm just guessing though as i really have no clue.

    Not if they're working on updates, expansions, and their next game.

    When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.

  • MMOarQQMMOarQQ Member Posts: 636

    Again, hard working employees take the hit for arrogant & inept leadership.  China style sacking of a  CEO before a firing squad would be a nice practice to bring to America.

  • nyxiumnyxium Member UncommonPosts: 1,345

    The Light server populations were a hint of things like this to come. That said, I hope the laid-off Bioware employees soon find new employment, it's never nice to see someone out of work, good luck to them.

  • dontadowdontadow Member UncommonPosts: 1,005

    That sucks, very sad, cause those people have lives, families and children to feed.  

    Its one thing to blame EA, but we know their bad. It's like on Supernatural, when the Winchester's make deals with Crowley's, Crowly is only going to makesure he comes out on top.  Bioware figured the only way they could get SWTOR made with with EA backing them, and that meant playing a high stakes game with the biggest loan shark in the business. IT's the people in charge that always have safety and the people in the bottom who get screwed. 

  • DredphyreDredphyre Member Posts: 601
    Originally posted by Kabaal
    Originally posted by Dredphyre

    I just have to repost this from the Officials because I knew it would get deleted, and sure enough it did:

     

     

    GrandAdmlStrife: 
     
    screw content; one of the ones 'let go' today was my brother-in-law, who worked on the IA class story. Let me tell you something about QA and CS here, they DON'T DO THEIR JOBS. He only found out about bugs in the class story because I was telling him what we saw on the forums here. CS and QA ARE NOT forwarding those issues where they need to go. For instance, the class quest for IA that's been bugged since launch? And was supposedly fixed last week? He did the fix in 20 minutes' time, turned it in to his boss, and it sat on his desk instead of actually being implemented. He told me he even stood in front of a meeting and asked why he was only finding out about bugs from his family instead of QA and CS. Then he gets canned. 
     
    Good thing I didn't re-up this month, wife and I are DONE with this game.
     
    Good job, BW. Wait til everyone came in to can them. Didn't even let them past security.
     
    Cuts were across the board, so I know he wasn't targeted, but now this means understaffed departments doing 2 or 3 or 4 times the workload.
     
     
    I've suspected this for a long time. I honestly don't think QA and CS are doing their jobs when it comes to reporting issues and bugs. Anyway, I wanted this post to live on.

    I take posts that are hearsay from a brother, uncle, budgie type thing with a pinch of salt but that would surprise me even if it came from the horses mouth. You just don't expect that amount of lack of awareness from a company like Bioware/EA. Bugs like have been seen with the class quests should have been of the highest priority and whether that post is for real or not they did seem to take a helluva long time to fix them, instead fixing and changing other aspects of the game that were less important.

    Of course one can never prove these validity of these sorts of posts...but it does have a ring of authenticity to it. I'm a fan of the game, but I've had this gut feeling that there's a firewall up between the players and the devs...and that firewall is QA/CS. The devs aren't getting the info they need, and this account I've saved seems to corroberate my experience.

  • MishakaiMishakai Member Posts: 105

    Bummer... I wanted this one to do a little better, as I'm sure quite a few did.  Oh well, no use in pointing fingers anymore, unless of course you are pointing at a different MMO to try.

    Not surprised though, communication from devs has been dwindling over the last couple months to almost no community interaction what so ever, most servers are ghost towns now, even during prime time.. And the worst part are the rabid fanboys in the community who maliciously flame anybody who criticizes the game in any way shape or form, while telling them to just quit and go play something else..  Well, apparantly almost half a million paying customers took the advice of the rabid fanboys..

    Edit:  OK I'll point fingers anyway...

  • tv2zulutv2zulu Member UncommonPosts: 73

    WoW, most successfull MMO currently,had layoffs as well not long time ago.

     

    Anyone reading too much into this, has an axe to grind with EA/Mythic, nothing else.

     

    That being said, pre- and post-launch teams are just different beasts.

  • eddieg50eddieg50 Member UncommonPosts: 1,809

     

  • eddieg50eddieg50 Member UncommonPosts: 1,809
    Originally posted by eddieg50

      On the serious side I will never be able to figure out why they came out with such a week Space Game? Two great things comeing up this summer, F2P Vanguard and the Summer Olympics!

     

  • KabaalKabaal Member UncommonPosts: 3,042
    Originally posted by Dredphyre
    Originally posted by Kabaal
    Originally posted by Dredphyre

    I just have to repost this from the Officials because I knew it would get deleted, and sure enough it did:

     

     

    GrandAdmlStrife: 
     
    screw content; one of the ones 'let go' today was my brother-in-law, who worked on the IA class story. Let me tell you something about QA and CS here, they DON'T DO THEIR JOBS. He only found out about bugs in the class story because I was telling him what we saw on the forums here. CS and QA ARE NOT forwarding those issues where they need to go. For instance, the class quest for IA that's been bugged since launch? And was supposedly fixed last week? He did the fix in 20 minutes' time, turned it in to his boss, and it sat on his desk instead of actually being implemented. He told me he even stood in front of a meeting and asked why he was only finding out about bugs from his family instead of QA and CS. Then he gets canned. 
     
    Good thing I didn't re-up this month, wife and I are DONE with this game.
     
    Good job, BW. Wait til everyone came in to can them. Didn't even let them past security.
     
    Cuts were across the board, so I know he wasn't targeted, but now this means understaffed departments doing 2 or 3 or 4 times the workload.
     
     
    I've suspected this for a long time. I honestly don't think QA and CS are doing their jobs when it comes to reporting issues and bugs. Anyway, I wanted this post to live on.

    I take posts that are hearsay from a brother, uncle, budgie type thing with a pinch of salt but that would surprise me even if it came from the horses mouth. You just don't expect that amount of lack of awareness from a company like Bioware/EA. Bugs like have been seen with the class quests should have been of the highest priority and whether that post is for real or not they did seem to take a helluva long time to fix them, instead fixing and changing other aspects of the game that were less important.

    Of course one can never prove these validity of these sorts of posts...but it does have a ring of authenticity to it. I'm a fan of the game, but I've had this gut feeling that there's a firewall up between the players and the devs...and that firewall is QA/CS. The devs aren't getting the info they need, and this account I've saved seems to corroberate my experience.

    I agree with you 100%, your reply said what i meant to but much more succinctly and better than i could

  • KabaalKabaal Member UncommonPosts: 3,042
    Originally posted by eddieg50
    Originally posted by eddieg50

      On the serious side I will never be able to figure out why they came out with such a week Space Game? Two great things comeing up this summer, F2P Vanguard and the Summer Olympics!

     

    Open space has been the focus of the first expansion since before launch, it made sense to hint at it in a mini sort of way with launch but i'm just surprised that they did it in such an odd way. 'On rails' doesn't equate to what they plan and whoever made the decision to do so needs a kick up the backside.

  • AsamofAsamof Member UncommonPosts: 824

     

    such a disaster of a game with such an amazingly high budget

    hopefully other game companies will be a little more discouraged now from making high budget WoW clones 

  • JeroKaneJeroKane Member EpicPosts: 6,959

    It's just a real shame to see yet another SW MMO go down in flames due to missmanagement!

  • ShakyMoShakyMo Member CommonPosts: 7,207
    This is what happens when you deal with the devil.
    Origin, bullfrog, maxis, westwood, mythic & now bioware.

    Hopefully devs will learn not to sell out to ea.
  • PuremallacePuremallace Member Posts: 1,856
    Originally posted by Kabaal
    Originally posted by TyvolusNext
    Originally posted by WolfClaws

    Ummm this is normal.

     Tell that to TRION.

    TRION already had another MMO in development by the time they released Rift, many of the Rift staff moved over to there after launch. Unless they have something hidden (which i doubt) Bioware have nothing else under development MMO wise other than the TOR space expansion.

    Trion has repeatedly called bullshit on this claim. Rift was amde for 50million dollars and the game banked close to 100million dollars for them in 2011. They hired more people obviously.

  • tordurbartordurbar Member UncommonPosts: 421
    Originally posted by ShakyMo
    This is what happens when you deal with the devil.
    Origin, bullfrog, maxis, westwood, mythic & now bioware.

    Hopefully devs will learn not to sell out to ea.

    Which devil? Lucasarts is the devil. I don't have the quote but it was said that they take 40% of the profit of SWTOR. No wonder it is not in the top three of EAs most profitable games! I watched 3 paper rpg companies go broke on the Star Wars franchise so I am not surprised that EA/Bioware had profit problems as well. I don't completely blame LA. The over-emphasis on story and the fact it was THEIR story not mine was what made me quit after a three month sub. I too am sorry for the laid off devs (I have been in that position twice myself) especially in these difficult times.

  • kanezfankanezfan Member UncommonPosts: 482


    Originally posted by tv2zulu
    WoW, most successfull MMO currently,had layoffs as well not long time ago. Anyone reading too much into this, has an axe to grind with EA/Mythic, nothing else. That being said, pre- and post-launch teams are just different beasts.

    Wow's been out for 7+ years though lol. SWTOR just came out. How can you even remotely think that this is the same thing? Damn...

  • AlienShirtAlienShirt Member UncommonPosts: 621
    The Force is not strong with them...and apparently neither are subscriptions.
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