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Well that's shitty.
Seems like only a couple teams these days can make triple A titles without going belly under. Sad state of affairs. :/
Seems like only a couple teams these days can make triple A titles without going belly under. Sad state of affairs. :/
What a shitty turn of events. I have put off buying Amalur as my own money situation is grim right now, but I have always planned on picking it up. Shame that whenever I do buy it, it'll be too lat for 38's staff, and I have to wonder how many others were simply waiting for their own 'right times' to buy it.
"ownership of all of 38 Studios' IP would transfer to Rhode Island's taxpayers"
Wow. That's a fucking terrible situation.
Best of luck to these guys.
Wow. That's a fucking terrible situation.
Best of luck to these guys.
This really sucks. Amamlur was an enjoyable game, with so much content, enough to make me question how I could only pay 60 dollars for what seemed to me like a ridiculous amount of quests. Not to mention the dlc adding even more to the game.
Seriously though, fuck the RI government.
I really hope we can somehow lay some blame on EA for this too.
Seriously though, fuck the RI government.
I really hope we can somehow lay some blame on EA for this too.
God bless the fine folks who worked at BHG and 38.
Management sounded like a real mess there, but my heart's with all of the people who worked their asses off to make a great game and earn their paycheck. Screw those who withheld important information from their employees about healthcare, pay, etc. But I'm sure McFarlane and Salvatore were paid well and are well off. Ugh.
Management sounded like a real mess there, but my heart's with all of the people who worked their asses off to make a great game and earn their paycheck. Screw those who withheld important information from their employees about healthcare, pay, etc. But I'm sure McFarlane and Salvatore were paid well and are well off. Ugh.
@Erik
I think it has less to do with the price of the game, and more to do with poor decisions on Curt Schillings part. But it's still some shit luck and I offer my best wishes to the ladies and gentlemen on both teams.
I think it has less to do with the price of the game, and more to do with poor decisions on Curt Schillings part. But it's still some shit luck and I offer my best wishes to the ladies and gentlemen on both teams.
No surprise, Almanure was... Well, manure.
Good riddance, maybe next time you won't sell your soul to Bioware.
Good riddance, maybe next time you won't sell your soul to Bioware.
That's really too bad... Oh well, I did my part by buying a copy of the game new... too bad no one else did... or at least 1.8 million didn't.
This is so sad. I really like Reckoning and I was really excited to see a new quality WRPG IP come in to the market. I wanted to see where it would go in the future, but it looks like we will never get that chance. But it's really unfair for them to say the game "failed". The game is still being sold! I'm sure it will steadily get closer to that goal with a Steam sale or two. 3 million is pretty ambitious by anyone's standards too, did they really expect that the game would be that much of a success? I think EA could have pumped money in to the studio to stop this from happening too. There's no doubt they have the funds to do it. But it's unsurprising that they haven't done a thing to save their talent from being destroyed. I really hope there's some way the studio and it's staff can be saved. They deserve another chance.
@Kittenwithbeer I like your sympathy towards the 379 people who don't have jobs anymore.
Go be an ass somewhere else, please.
Go be an ass somewhere else, please.
"To Chafee and Rhode Island, that means "the game failed.""
Heck, if that were true Nintendo would have been out of business years ago.
So let me get this straight:
The State of Rhode Island baits 38 Studios into moving it's operations to the state in order to boost jobs, loans them $75 million to do so, and now pretty much forces them out of business for defaulting said loan, making these people unemployed?
Does the state have unemployment benefits? If it does the entire plan will probably backfire for all involved.
Heck, if that were true Nintendo would have been out of business years ago.
So let me get this straight:
The State of Rhode Island baits 38 Studios into moving it's operations to the state in order to boost jobs, loans them $75 million to do so, and now pretty much forces them out of business for defaulting said loan, making these people unemployed?
Does the state have unemployment benefits? If it does the entire plan will probably backfire for all involved.
This is symptomatic of a much bigger problem, namely that selling 3 million copies of a game is the only way for it to be considered successful. As Jim Sterling et al. have said many times, the current business model is almost certainly unsurvivable for most, and it needs to change for the betterment of everyone in the industry, save for a handful of wealthy executives.
Only read the title so far. Holy-mother-fucking-shit-of-mercy.
Did these people even get paid? Will EA even help them out? Probably not.
Did these people even get paid? Will EA even help them out? Probably not.
@kitten: you are a fucking idiot and a horrible troll and person. I hope you can't breed.
@Article: This is shitty ass news. I wish all the best to both studios in finding more work and recovering from this. You guys made a great first game.
@Article: This is shitty ass news. I wish all the best to both studios in finding more work and recovering from this. You guys made a great first game.
So the studio closed? I don't understand how they're going to pay anything back by laying off their entire staff unless the next step is to fully liquidate.
@TheNopeMan
Why would EA help them out? EA's entire relationship with 38 begins and ends with KoA. EA had zero involvement with the MMO that caused this mess.
Why would EA help them out? EA's entire relationship with 38 begins and ends with KoA. EA had zero involvement with the MMO that caused this mess.
It's a shame for everyone out of a job. It seems we're in the midst of a market correction. Too many games being produced chasing too few dollars available.
This is pretty sad. Amalur was an amazing first effort and they were pretty promising as a studio. But giving loans to a developer in the name of "creating jobs" just seems like a bad idea to begin with, as theres no clear cut way to make a "successful" videogame. Betting on popular opinion at taxpayers expense....eeeech makes me cringe.
@Sæglópur
If their game was so great, why did they lay off everyone?
People don't buy shitty games, Almanure was manure, blame Bioware.
If their game was so great, why did they lay off everyone?
People don't buy shitty games, Almanure was manure, blame Bioware.
@Harris Hatsworth
"...unless the next step is to fully liquidate."
Bingo.
The whole deal was ridiculous to begin with.
What boggles my mind is how they expected to pay $1.125 million a month for 8 years on top of salaries, rent, services and development...
...after publishing one game.
"...unless the next step is to fully liquidate."
Bingo.
The whole deal was ridiculous to begin with.
What boggles my mind is how they expected to pay $1.125 million a month for 8 years on top of salaries, rent, services and development...
...after publishing one game.
3 fucking million copies. Talk about unrealistic expectations for a new IP that I've barely seen advertisinh for.
Am I honestly the only one who feels worse for Rhode Island tax payers than for the employees that spent all their money? I'm not trying to imply malicious intent but the state of Rhode Island are the real people at loss here, they have to pay nearly twice the cost of the loan because of a bad investment decision made at the state level, sure the economy sucks, and I hope these guys find jobs elsewhere but it's not going to get any better now that more than 100 million dollars is down the drain that could have been spent on education, public works projects, investment in small business start-ups actually located in Rhode Island.
Instead they're paying for a bounced check of a studio that for the first game they ever chose to make they shot for an MMO and bought a studio before it had earned a single cent. Sorry, but I find little pity for the company that went to the government for money because their idea was too shitty for a real publisher to pick up on.
Instead they're paying for a bounced check of a studio that for the first game they ever chose to make they shot for an MMO and bought a studio before it had earned a single cent. Sorry, but I find little pity for the company that went to the government for money because their idea was too shitty for a real publisher to pick up on.
@Kittenwithbeer
Looking at your comment history, did Bioware molest you? You know that Bioware had nothing to do with any of this, right?
Looking at your comment history, did Bioware molest you? You know that Bioware had nothing to do with any of this, right?
Meanwhile all the big players laugh all the way to the bank, and somehow no one sees this as a criminal scam. Rhode island and these poor employees have all been screwed to the wall.
The rich get richer...
The rich get richer...
Well I hope they learned a lesson from all of this. When you half-ass a product and produce a pile of shit, don't expect the consumers to buy your mound of fecal matter that is Amalur.
@kittenwithbeer
I haven't played beyond the demo, but your argument is utter bullshit. When, in the history of ever, has popularity reflected anything's quality. Some of the worst movies I've ever seen have been huge box office successes. Some of the worst music I've ever heard dominate top 40 charts. Just because the game didn't sell like Call of Duty doesn't mean it didn't deserve to.
I haven't played beyond the demo, but your argument is utter bullshit. When, in the history of ever, has popularity reflected anything's quality. Some of the worst movies I've ever seen have been huge box office successes. Some of the worst music I've ever heard dominate top 40 charts. Just because the game didn't sell like Call of Duty doesn't mean it didn't deserve to.
@everyone
The series may still continue, though.
It's very unlikely the state will hold onto 38 Studios' IPs. They'll most likely auction them to recoup some of their losses.
Maybe a healthy developer will pick it up.
The series may still continue, though.
It's very unlikely the state will hold onto 38 Studios' IPs. They'll most likely auction them to recoup some of their losses.
Maybe a healthy developer will pick it up.
@Kittenwithbeer:
So is that your posting gimmick now? Bioware insults and blaming them for stuff they had no hand in every comment? Like you did in the Diablo III review comments? Alright then...
*notes to self to ignore Kitten's future comments*
So is that your posting gimmick now? Bioware insults and blaming them for stuff they had no hand in every comment? Like you did in the Diablo III review comments? Alright then...
*notes to self to ignore Kitten's future comments*
I'm trying to logic out how laying off your entire staff isn't essentially a studio closure in itself. Short of some scrambling behind the scenes to attempt to save the RI Politicos who green lighted the loan some face..... or at least postpone the impending recall election.
All I can say is in my most humble of opinions if RI re-elects the incumbent responsible, they should be ejected from the US.
All I can say is in my most humble of opinions if RI re-elects the incumbent responsible, they should be ejected from the US.
Wow... well, shit's fucked.
Though, if I was one of these guys, I'd take advantage of the opportunity and go apply to work at Arena Net, oh yeah.
Though, if I was one of these guys, I'd take advantage of the opportunity and go apply to work at Arena Net, oh yeah.
The company obviously overplayed their hand. They also knew they couldn't afford the ante if they lost the hand either, everyone got their just desserts. I'm sure the talented at the studio will find work elsewhere, the exceptional always do.
@Kittenwithbeer
The game was adequate and had potential for a decent game series. They laid off their staff because there is no money, because 38 blew through 75 Million dollars. I suspect a bulk of that went into buying Big Huge games, for which as I recall they paid an undisclosed amount... which had a nearly complete game under their belt that went on to become Amalure.
What still floors me is how 38 ever got the loan in the first place. They were at the time an unproven studio with to my knowledge no games in development. The only game they have released to date was Amalure and they essentially bought that.....
38s problem is they weren't as much developers as they were acting like a publisher. The problem there is publishers have deep pockets and can suck up a bad decision here or there. They apparently could not.
The game was adequate and had potential for a decent game series. They laid off their staff because there is no money, because 38 blew through 75 Million dollars. I suspect a bulk of that went into buying Big Huge games, for which as I recall they paid an undisclosed amount... which had a nearly complete game under their belt that went on to become Amalure.
What still floors me is how 38 ever got the loan in the first place. They were at the time an unproven studio with to my knowledge no games in development. The only game they have released to date was Amalure and they essentially bought that.....
38s problem is they weren't as much developers as they were acting like a publisher. The problem there is publishers have deep pockets and can suck up a bad decision here or there. They apparently could not.
@Kingdan97
To be fair, they "only" really lost $75 million minus the payments 38 Studios managed to cover (plus whatever the just laid off workers will receive in unemployment benefits from the state). The rest of the money was the interest rates the state was expecting to earn, not taxes the people had paid.
But really, everyone but the state's Gov. and the Studio's top management are the victims here. The people getting fired had to move their lives from one state to another with the expectation of a stable livelihood. There are stories floating about that some of them haven't been receiving salaries for a while ether.
So these people deserve as much sympathy as the state's citizens.
To be fair, they "only" really lost $75 million minus the payments 38 Studios managed to cover (plus whatever the just laid off workers will receive in unemployment benefits from the state). The rest of the money was the interest rates the state was expecting to earn, not taxes the people had paid.
But really, everyone but the state's Gov. and the Studio's top management are the victims here. The people getting fired had to move their lives from one state to another with the expectation of a stable livelihood. There are stories floating about that some of them haven't been receiving salaries for a while ether.
So these people deserve as much sympathy as the state's citizens.
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