Warner Bros. Seattle Continues Layoffs
By Joseph Christ on July 26th, 2012 (4 comments)
Things are looking a bit tough for Warner Bros. Seattle as they have confirmed further layoffs have hit the Seattle staff. WB Games Seattle comprises Monolith Productions, Snowblind Studios, and Surreal Software but no word if any of these studios have been hit in particular, or if layoffs are being done across the board.
As is usual with these things, word originally leaked out when 3D Realms founder George Broussard tweeted: "Another Warner Brothers layoff going on as we speak. In progress now. Shame. Hope people land safely."
When game outlets began asking WB for confirmation, they released the following statement: "Due to shifting business imperatives, WB Games Seattle has made staff reductions. The group will continue to remain an integral part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment."
Hopefully the layoffs won't cut too deep, especially since a previous round had cut around "60ish" WB staff back in November, but WB Games is a bit of a bloated property that also produces the Lego franchise and a plethora of movie tie-in-games as well...not to mention the commercial difficulties that FEAR 3 and Lord of the Rings: War in the North experienced. And while they may not find themselves on the same precipice as THQ, it may serve them well to take a look at their current offerings and begin to support their strengths and dissolve their weaknesses.
[Source: Joystiq]
Joseph Christ
Joseph Christ is the Reviews Editor and a Podcast Personality at 4Player. Specializing in reviews, editorials, drinking, and saying inappropriate things about gaming franchises that are beloved by millions, his satirical and sometimes edgy style offsets a more serious and penetrating substance lurking below the surface. He is also the host of the Cocktail Time Podcast. You'll follow his Twitter if you know what's good for you.
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It's not Vancouver, but man, the West Coast is taking a beating on the gaming front.
Link / ReplyI wish I could say I feel sorry for them but I really can't their business idea's for the industry have been horrible. I mean releasing War In the North the same time as Skyrim, turning the FEAR franchise from a suspenseful horror shooter to a standard generic FPS and finally into a co-op COD game? Nope Warner bro's dug themselves in a hole and are now praying the price for it. I just hope other publishers learn from their mistakes.
Link / ReplyOkay. First off, that's not WB. That's monolith you're talking about. And keep in mind that quite a few people in wb core got let go, at all levels. From testers to executives. Many didn't have anything to do with the reasons.
Link / ReplyI was referring to Warner Bros. entertainment the publishers not Warner Bros. Seattle the developers, I am positive that publishers do actually have a lot to say in the way a game is designed and ultimately the final project. Hell just look at what happened to Mass effect it turned into an RPG into a straight TPS as soon as the publishers were changed from Microsoft to EA I highly doubt that was a coincidence.
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