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Ncsoft : Massive layoffs and offices undergoing 'realignment'

KumaponKumapon Member EpicPosts: 1,556

It looks like there are some bad news coming from Ncsoft. Almost the entire NCwest staff in Seattle has been wacked, and numerous other staff from their other companies. It has also lead people to think their Seattle office may be shutting down.

Rumors have now been going on that Ncsoft will be doing a major 'realignment', putting all their studios under one house. I guess we will have to wait and see...

This could effect all off Ncsofts games including GW2.

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Comments

  • clumsytoes44clumsytoes44 Member UncommonPosts: 463
    Somehow this really does not surprise me.
  • itstheclimaxitstheclimax Member Posts: 22
    lol, as soon as i read it on massively i knew you people would be quick to attribute it to GW2 instead of CoH. Arenanet isn't downsizing, in fact they have more employees now. these were people working on otther NCSoft products.
  • waynejr2waynejr2 Member EpicPosts: 7,769
    Originally posted by DMKano

    The insider word on the street was that GW2 was underperforming, this pretty much confirms those rumors. 

    I hope all those affected land on their feet - layoffs during holiday season is just heartless.

     People were saying that when Paragon was closed and City of Heroes closing was announced.  Do we have any real facts regarding GW2 underperforming?

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  • Abuz0rAbuz0r Member UncommonPosts: 550

    NCSofts revamping of every game as free to play shows their desperate twisting and turning to try to show some sort of profit.

    I remember from the very first NC game I played (Lineage 2) I got the sincere feeling they were not customer oriented. 

    In AION the game was so imbalanced from release that every single server on the network had almost the same outcome.  (One faction had 4 times the amount of  world bosses -spawn 1 time a day- as the other faction, and that faction dominated the other in all outlets of the game due to gear imbalance)

    Guildwars 2 had so much potential, another poster summed up how I felt in the game as an underperforming weakling as opposed to an influential hero.

     

    NC has always shown to be unimpressive and typically inundated with Bots and no desire what so ever to please paying customers.

  • botrytisbotrytis Member RarePosts: 3,363

    ALso, if NCSoft and A.Net both have offices in Seattle, why not merge the two.

     

    People really want to see GW2 fail. WHY? I never understood the attitude of some people who gleefully jump up and down when a game goes south.  Seems to me, if it was their lively hood that went south, they would want people to at least have sympathy.


  • itstheclimaxitstheclimax Member Posts: 22
    Originally posted by waynejr2
    Originally posted by DMKano

    The insider word on the street was that GW2 was underperforming, this pretty much confirms those rumors. 

    I hope all those affected land on their feet - layoffs during holiday season is just heartless.

     People were saying that when Paragon was closed and City of Heroes closing was announced.  Do we have any real facts regarding GW2 underperforming?

    none at all, but who needs it?

     

    in fact in spite of all the hate and hopes for failure aimed at Anet, the real fact of this situaton is that they are likely merging NCSoft West INTO ArenaNet...lol. 

  • botrytisbotrytis Member RarePosts: 3,363
    Originally posted by Abuz0r

    NCSofts revamping of every game as free to play shows their desperate twisting and turning to try to show some sort of profit.

    I remember from the very first NC game I played (Lineage 2) I got the sincere feeling they were not customer oriented.

    In AION the game was so imbalanced from release that every single server on the network had almost the same outcome. 

    Guildwars 2 had so much potential, another poster summed up how I felt in the game as an underperforming weakling as opposed to an influential hero.

     

    NC has always shown to be unimpressive and typically inundated with Bots and no desire what so ever to please paying customers.

    You can say that about alot of companies.

     

    I have never had issues with NCSoft and they were very helpful when I had GW1 issues. They were johnny on the spot.


  • Abuz0rAbuz0r Member UncommonPosts: 550
    Their games in general are un-rewarding time sinks.   Lot's of time invested with absolutely nothing to show for your efforts.  They set before you a really challenging ladder to climb with nothing at the top.  Can you name 1 NC game with entertaining end-game content?
  • ezpz77ezpz77 Member Posts: 227
    What a bunch of corporate asshats. They could have at least waited until after the holidays to lay people off. I can't imagine having to go home to my wife and tell her I got laid off right before Christmas. Merry effin' Christmas indeed.
  • DragimDragim Member UncommonPosts: 867

    I don't see how GW2 is underperforming.

    Granted, I haven't been playing it lately because of planetside 2, but that aside, the events (holiday or no) generate so much cash.

    In my guild, there were people dropping hundreds of dollars on the cash shop in order to try to get one of the rare "item graphics" for their weapons.  --I wouldn't do it, but to each their own.

    They have had at least 2 events now with special skins and players have dropped enormous amounts of money attempting to get them.

    Granted, these 6+ guildies could be the only ones doing so, but I have a sneaky suspicion that many others do as well.

    I just don't see how GW2 is under-performing, but perhaps I am just missing something, which very well may be.

    I am entitled to my opinions, misspellings, and grammatical errors.

  • itstheclimaxitstheclimax Member Posts: 22
    if anything, they're killing off their low profit studios in NA before they end up costing too much and a botaload of those employees will be picked up by O'Brien and friends. either way MMORPG.com's anti-anet circle jerk is again a fail.
  • Abuz0rAbuz0r Member UncommonPosts: 550

    Guildwars 2 really entertained me.  I played slowly and leveled slowly.  My friends zerged to max level and almost immediately quit the game because there was nothing to do once you got there.  I decided not to waste my time and have not logged, although the game itself is enjoyable.

     

    Theres a certain amount of us adult game crowd out here that want to be able to do something once we get to end-game.  I admit GW2 was the most well rounded mmo gaming experience for the leveling content I have ever seen, but if there's nothing to do after you finish leveling, what's the point?

     

    I also have this complaint about a few other titles, by other publishers as well, but NC is famous for this crime.

  • atuerstaratuerstar Member Posts: 234
    Originally posted by ezpz77
    What a bunch of corporate asshats. They could have at least waited until after the holidays to lay people off. I can't imagine having to go home to my wife and tell her I got laid off right before Christmas. Merry effin' Christmas indeed.

     

    This. No knowing what the underlying reasoning behind it all is, no particular game can be blamed. But this kind of action at this point in time sounds like execs desperately protecting their christmas bonus's. It stinks.

  • Abuz0rAbuz0r Member UncommonPosts: 550

    LOL What do you guys think NCSoft = Microsoft?  I promise you it's not a multi-billion dollar corporation where cigar smoking fat men in suits sit around and decide how to spend all their profits.

     

    All of NCs american released titles have missed their projected targets.  All of their games have had to go free-to-play because of dwindling subscriptions.  A company isn't in business to pay people wages and benefits theyre in business to make a profit.  Companies set budgets and projections and if they don't make them they cut their losses.  The epic failures of their North American projects are a bleeding wound to them.

     

    Also, Christmas is a (commercialized) western holiday primarily, and I doubt NC is thinking anything about their corporate Christmas bonuses.

     

    I just am thoroughly amused at the anti-capitalist sentiment being blasted here at a company that clearly isn't performing in a healthy way trying to cut it's losses and stay in business.

     

    I don't even like them or their games, but I find myself sitting here defending them as a corporation for trying to make a business decision.  Also, who will want to do business in the USA come January?

  • TerranahTerranah Member UncommonPosts: 3,575

    Well, I'd be surprised if GW2 fails anytime soon.  It's a good game for $50.  But then again, I have not bought a single thing off of their store.  Nothing interests me.  What would interest me?  How about purchasing functionality.  Examples...

     

    1) Housing

    2) More armor skins

    3) Sell appearance tabs

    4) Sell the ability to change your character appearance.  The current system is bla.  I suggest it would be an optional functionality you could add to your house.  A mirror in your bedroom that would allow you to change your appearance any time.  Charge $15, only good for the character you purchase it for.

    5) The ability to send items coins to other toons.

    6)  The ability for level 80 characters to transfer experience to alts.

    7) Hair packs. 

    8) Face Packs

    9) Emote packs.

     

    Bla bla bla.  These are just a few ideas.  Charge $15 for each one.  Housing opens the door to a lot of things, like furniture, decorations.  Honestly, I have more creative ideas in my toe nails than their entire store team. 

  • Beatnik59Beatnik59 Member UncommonPosts: 2,413

    The NCSoft stock is taking a beating today.  Also, a savage article appeared in The Korea Times that criticizes NCSoft for the CoH closure:

    http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2012/12/602_126197.html

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  • Abuz0rAbuz0r Member UncommonPosts: 550
    Originally posted by Terranah

    Well, I'd be surprised if GW2 fails anytime soon.  It's a good game for $50.  But then again, I have not bought a single thing off of their store.  Nothing interests me.  What would interest me?  How about purchasing functionality.  Examples...

     

    1) Housing

    2) More armor skins

    3) Sell appearance tabs

    4) Sell the ability to change your character appearance.  The current system is bla.  I suggest it would be an optional functionality you could add to your house.  A mirror in your bedroom that would allow you to change your appearance any time.  Charge $15, only good for the character you purchase it for.

    5) The ability to send items coins to other toons.

    6)  The ability for level 80 characters to transfer experience to alts.

    7) Hair packs. 

    8) Face Packs

    9) Emote packs.

     

    Bla bla bla.  These are just a few ideas.  Charge $15 for each one.  Housing opens the door to a lot of things, like furniture, decorations.  Honestly, I have more creative ideas in my toe nails than their entire store team. 

    These are great ideas, but you have to be showing profit in order to pay your crew to do the development.   After a multi-million dollar failure, most people aren't going to want to invest more money for the sake of making a few nick-nack transactions.

  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247

     

    "[NCSoft] has noted that several positions in the office have been terminated as a result of recent events."

    "As a result of the realignment, several employees and contract positions were affected."

     

     

    "Ncsoft : Massive layoffs..."

    "This could effect all off Ncsofts games including GW2."

     

     

    It is amazing and amusing the amount of effort some of you put into trying to create doom and gloom to prophecize about GW2.

     

     

     

     

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  • Superman0XSuperman0X Member RarePosts: 2,292
    This is not a surprise to anyone who has followed NCSoft. In thier 3rd quarter earnings report it was clear that they didnt have enough revenue to sustain NCWest at its current levels. At this time they are actively seeking third party publishers for their new titles. Do not be surprised if you see their games published by Nexon instead.
  • JacobinJacobin Member RarePosts: 1,009

    People losing their jobs sucks big time, but lets face it NCsoft isn't exactly know for making very good games.

     

    If the company was losing money then maybe that is why GW2 was pushed out faster than it should have been.

     

    While I do think the game overall is good value, it has disapointed in several areas including pvp which they claimed would be e-sport material yet isn't anything remotely close to being ready.

  • KenFisherKenFisher Member UncommonPosts: 5,035

    What titles are likely to be involved in this?  I only know of CoH, L2 and Aion.

     

    I'm surprised there is much staff here in the US.  I always guessed that such would be limited to localization, customer service, marketing, and server operations.  Also, I guess a handful of management.


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  • TheJodaTheJoda Member UncommonPosts: 605
    ....sad to hear, esp around the holidays.   Ho Ho Ho?

    ....Being Banned from MMORPG's forums since 2010, for Trolling the Trolls!!!

  • eye_meye_m Member UncommonPosts: 3,317
    Originally posted by botrytis

    ALso, if NCSoft and A.Net both have offices in Seattle, why not merge the two.

     

    People really want to see GW2 fail. WHY? I never understood the attitude of some people who gleefully jump up and down when a game goes south.  Seems to me, if it was their lively hood that went south, they would want people to at least have sympathy.

    It's kinda like when your ex starts dating someone else, wanting that relationship to fail is kinda natural.  Hearing about how a new game is supposed to be all that, people look for the negatives so they can bring them to light. This leads to statements like "Sure the world looks great, and the dynamic events are fun, but the large scale WvWvW is absolute crap if you're a solo player! It's nothing more than a zergfest!"   (just in case there are people unsure of what a zergfest is, it's where a large group of players fight together. It usually works out for the best if it's against another large group of players)

     

    As for the OP. I think the "realignment" is just resource management. Maybe they are trying to free up enough money to buy out funcom before Disney does.

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  • stayontargetstayontarget Member RarePosts: 6,519
    I think the writing (layoffs) was on the wall when Nexon bought 20% of NC a few weeks ago.

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  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by Nihilist

    People losing their jobs sucks big time, but lets face it NCsoft isn't exactly know for making very good games.

    GW, GW2, Lineage, Lineage 2, Aion. Some of those were blockbusters here and others didn't do too well here, but they all did well overseas.  While they can probably be seen as 50/50 on their titles, a major thing to their credit is that they at least try to expand beyond the mainstream style, something that SOE has recently started doing, as well.

     

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