Gearbox Layoffs, Borderlands Safe
Sat, 11/22/2008 - 11:29
First the mortgage industry, then banks, the car makers and now the Borderlands guys. This economy just keeps getting worse.
There's a bunch of reports that Gearbox Software laid off a number of its employees Friday. Kotaku says it can be as high as 26.
It sounds like the game most affected by this staff cut isn't Borderlands, but one of Gearbox's other titles in development, Aliens: Colonial Marines. According to Kotaku, Aliens publisher Sega cut funding for the game because of concerns about the project.
Randy Pitchford, Gearbox's Chief Executive, made a comment over on Shacknews. He doesn't deny that layoffs have taken place but does say that the quality of Borderlands won't be affected.
Borderlands is shaping up to be sick and I think it's going to turn out to be really fresh and great. But, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. So we're just going to have to keep our heads down and deliver.
The new mantra around Gearbox is: Quality, Focus, Performance.
Which means that until we ship our next game, none of this really matters. What needs to happen is that we need to just bring it and offer you guys a kick ass Borderlands game and a kick ass Aliens game.
If we kick ass, you'll check it out and hopefully give us some respect. If we suck, you'll tell us as you love to do.
Well, sorry to hear about this for the employees. Hopefully they can find new jobs elsewhere.
Mon, 11/24/2008 - 00:00
#2
Video Games In A Recession
There's an argument kicking around that video games are relatively recession-proof. During a recession, people spend more time at home so they're just as likely, if not more so, to buy games.
Supporting the argument: In October, game sales in the U.S. were up year over year. So maybe it won't be such a rough ride for these companies next year.
Mon, 11/24/2008 - 11:48
#3
I suppose that makes sense,
I suppose that makes sense, but if you're unemployed and/or low on money, video games would probably be one of the first things to go. I mean, logically, it should be cigarettes and the like, but they're chemically addictive, unlike the fun videogame addictive. So it's kind of a toss-up. I think it'll be okay.
Tue, 11/25/2008 - 00:50
#4
The govt should bail them out
The government should bail out the video game industry. They're bailing everybody else out.
Unfortunatly it is everywhere gaming has came so far since I was young ,it's just incredible....companies that are solid in this economy and stick to strict budgets should have no problem at all .....I love video games they are a way to relieve stress and to escape reality for a while...I would love to get in the business , but I'm way behind on computers...lay offs are bad especially people that love their jobs..I still think that these companies are the safest in this economy..I wish all the luck to everyone there.
Sincerely, James David Collins