News Room Contributor Posts: 2410 Joined: 11 Sep 2008 | Midway Axes 25% of Staff, Cancels Games
As a part of "cost-reduction measures," Midway is planning to lay off 25% of its staff nationwide, with the Austin studio being completely shut down and development suspended on several games.
Layoffs will hit Midway branches across America, with jobs being cut "across multiple disciplines" in Midway's Austin, Chicago and San Diego studios. Austin, which had most recently produced BlackSite: Area 51, is the hardest hit by the studio's scrimping and will be completely shut down. "The cost-reduction measures are vital for us to rationalize our operations and provide the resources necessary for our core properties to succeed," Matt Booty, president and CEO of Midway, said. "These initiatives, along with the other steps we have taken this year, are a response to the specific challenges we are facing at Midway, many of which have been amplified by the current economic conditions."
As for the games planned for cancellation, Midway described them as "non-core projects" that were scheduled for release in the next couple years, but which weren't known to the public anyhow.
Though their studio's closure is nothing to take lightly, the staff at the Austin studio has a history of frustration with how things are run at Midway, Shacknews notes. Criticizing Midway's rush to get BlackSite: Area 51 on store shelves, director Harvey Smith called the process "completely reprehensible" saying "[the game] went straight from alpha to final." Smith, who had previously worked on Ion Storm's Deus Ex before joining Midway, described the project as "so fucked up."
Midway has been ailing for some time now, having accumulated $245 million in debt. The company recently saw its stock fall to less that 40 cents a share following the sale of a majority stake in the company for a mere $100,000.
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Gone Gonzo Posts: 2381 Joined: 6 Mar 2008 | Good to see Harvey Smith out of a job. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 3895 Joined: 7 Nov 2007 | harhol:
Good to see Harvey Smith out of a job.
I'm an idiot, never heard of him. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 2381 Joined: 6 Mar 2008 | He's the guy responsible for Deus Ex: Invisible War. |
News Room Contributor Posts: 2410 Joined: 11 Sep 2008 | harhol:
He's the guy responsible for Deus Ex: Invisible War.
Well, technically so was Warren Spector, as far as I know. And, by that token, Smith was also partially responsible for Deus Ex. Which absolves him of anything else.
Just do like I do, pretend Invisible War never existed... |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1643 Joined: 26 Nov 2008 | Yeah there's no reason to be happy that someone is out of a job. I mean really. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1094 Joined: 11 Oct 2008 | 245 million debt... wow... it takes some serious effort to go that low. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 2381 Joined: 6 Mar 2008 | Keane Ng:
harhol:
He's the guy responsible for Deus Ex: Invisible War.
Well, technically so was Warren Spector, as far as I know. And, by that token, Smith was also partially responsible for Deus Ex. Which absolves him of anything else.
Smith hated the original because most (if not all) of his ideas were overruled by the rest of the team*. 90+ percent of what you see in that game is Spector's work**. For the sequel Smith was given the reigns and decided to implement all of his brilliant ideas that were previously shot down***. The rest is history.
* rumour
** hear say
*** or so it is alleged |
Infamous Scribbler Posts: 609 Joined: 12 Sep 2008 | |
News Room Contributor Posts: 2410 Joined: 11 Sep 2008 | harhol:
Keane Ng:
harhol:
He's the guy responsible for Deus Ex: Invisible War.
Well, technically so was Warren Spector, as far as I know. And, by that token, Smith was also partially responsible for Deus Ex. Which absolves him of anything else.
Smith hated the original because most (if not all) of his ideas were overruled by the rest of the team*. 90+ percent of what you see in that game is Spector's work**. For the sequel Smith was given the reigns and decided to implement all of his brilliant ideas that were previously shot down***. The rest is history.
* rumour
** hear say
*** or so it is alleged
I'll take your word for it, if only because that'll let me add some more items to my Spector shrine.
Also, was Smith the one who admitted "we fucked up" with IW? |
Senior Editor Posts: 2264 Joined: 9 Jan 2007 | I think you might be thinking of his comments regarding Blacksite: Area 51:
"I wasn't excited about this Area 51 game," he said. While making the game, Smith was overseeing two projects, and Area 51 was not his favorite. That didn't help, and he accepts some fault. "We got hammered so hard, and we deserved it."
From this story. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1809 Joined: 8 Apr 2008 | Well... so much for Midway being my ticket to Chicago :( |
Midway Axes 25% of Staff, Cancels Games
As a part of "cost-reduction measures," Midway is planning to lay off 25% of its staff nationwide, with the Austin studio being completely shut down and development suspended on several games.
Layoffs will hit Midway branches across America, with jobs being cut "across multiple disciplines" in Midway's Austin, Chicago and San Diego studios. Austin, which had most recently produced BlackSite: Area 51, is the hardest hit by the studio's scrimping and will be completely shut down. "The cost-reduction measures are vital for us to rationalize our operations and provide the resources necessary for our core properties to succeed," Matt Booty, president and CEO of Midway, said. "These initiatives, along with the other steps we have taken this year, are a response to the specific challenges we are facing at Midway, many of which have been amplified by the current economic conditions."
As for the games planned for cancellation, Midway described them as "non-core projects" that were scheduled for release in the next couple years, but which weren't known to the public anyhow.
Though their studio's closure is nothing to take lightly, the staff at the Austin studio has a history of frustration with how things are run at Midway, Shacknews notes. Criticizing Midway's rush to get BlackSite: Area 51 on store shelves, director Harvey Smith called the process "completely reprehensible" saying "[the game] went straight from alpha to final." Smith, who had previously worked on Ion Storm's Deus Ex before joining Midway, described the project as "so fucked up."
Midway has been ailing for some time now, having accumulated $245 million in debt. The company recently saw its stock fall to less that 40 cents a share following the sale of a majority stake in the company for a mere $100,000.
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