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Report: Radical To Lay Off Almost Half Of Staff
by Eric Caoili [PC, Console/PC]
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August 14, 2008
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Vancouver-based developer Radical Entertainment (Prototype) will lay off about 100 employees, nearly half of its staff, according to a new report from newspaper The Vancouver Sun.
Parent company Activision, which acquired Radical in July 2008 as part of its merger with Vivendi Games, gave notice of the reduction in a July 29th statement.
In that official statement, the firm explained that "...the company intends to adapt the Vivendi Games' studio operations to better align the studio structure against the new product slate. The company will realign staffing at Radical Entertainment and High Moon Studios."
Gamasutra reported yesterday that San Diego-based developer High Moon Studios (The Bourne Supremacy) laid off a significant portion of its personnel, and awaited comment on Radical's staffing change.
Radical Entertainment's vice president of human resources Leah Rubin confirmed to the Sun that Activision Blizzard cut the number of Radical's titles currently under development from four games to two, the remaining titles being Prototype and Crash: Mind Over Mutant. Thus, it appears that the studio's sequel to 2006's Scarface: The World Is Yours has been canceled.
Said Rubin: "Activision Blizzard is committed to making the best games possible and has elected at this time to reduce the number of titles that Radical is developing from four games to two. Therefore, we will be proportionately reducing the size of our studio."
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While it's a bummer to be laid off- it's only a bummer because they hire folks with this pretense that they're there permanently- I think that's the problem. When Indiana Jones 4 wrapped, did we see any news clips that 200 people were let go? Nope, they all knew as soon as they started on it that it'll be over when the movie wraps, and they need to find another project. So they were able to secure the next year's work while doing that gig.
The reality is that in gamedev it's the same deal- the game sucks/is done, so you are fired. Except it's not out in the open- I don't think it's good for studios or people. It makes it that much harder to find jobs, since the studios like to 'can people with basically no advance notice, in the middle of production.
Game dev employees are like cattle these days, herded along when days are sunny and then sent to the slaughterhouse when stormy weather comes. No matter how we despise that we better get used to it.
The best counterstrategy for being treated like cattle is to act like a sports Free Agent; keep your ear to the ground and be ready to jump ship when a great opportunity arises no matter where you are at in your current project. Like many of my veteran colleague I always keep my resume up to date and my eye out for new opportunities even when in the midst of a cool and seemingly secure project.